A Pragmatic approach on Atulya gotra & Consanguinity.

Dr.K. Pallavi

Lecturer,Dept of Agadatantra ,

G J Patel  Institute of Ayurvedic Studies & Research.

 Dr.Jasmine Gujarathi  

Lecturer, Dept of Prasuti Tantra & Streeroga G J Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies & Research.

In the past few days, we have seen lot of cases of Honor killing of young married couples getting killed by their own relatives just because they belonged to the same Gotra. The sustained effort by aggressive Khap panchayats and their influential political backers to force leading political parties to have a rethink on same gotra marriages is patently illegal. Sixty-five years ago, in 1945, the issue was settled by the Bombay High Court which categorically declared same gotra marriages were legal. And that's been the law of the land since¹.

Origin & Introduction to Gotras:-

The word “Gotra” is formed from the two Sanskrit words ‘aÉÉå’ (meaning Cow) and ‘§ÉÉÌW’ û(meaning Shed). So Gotra means Cowshed, where in the context is that Gotra is like the Cowshed protecting a particular lineage². Generally, these lineages mean patrilineal descent from the sages or rishis in Brahmins, warriors and administrators in Kshatriyas and ancestral trademen in Vaisyas. The lineage system, either patrilineal or matrilineal, was followed by the South Asian people. In present-day Hinduism, Gotra is applied to all the lineage systems.

The earliest mention of this word in its technical sense is to be found in Chandogya-Upanisad where the teacher of Satyakama Jabali asks his Gotra. We find frequent use of Gotras in the Buddhist and Jain literature, for example, Manava, Vasistha Gautama etc. It seems that by the time of the Buddha, the Gotra system was an established institution³.

The term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines Gotra for grammatical purposes as 'apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasya-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. According to the Baudhâyanas'rauta-sûtra Vishvâmitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Agastya are 8 sages; the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. These eight sages are called gotrakarins To this list, Agastya is also sometimes added. This enumeration of eight primary gotras seems to have been known to PâNini. The offspring (apatya) of these eight are gotras and others than these are called ' Gotrâvayava '.⁴

There are more than 49 established Hindu gotras. All members of a particular gotra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession.

Gotra also means: "family enclosed by the hurdle”, family, race, lineage, kin⁵.  Gotra in Amarakosha⁶ is said to be race/line/tribe/extraction/stock in Brahma varga. Sagotra in Shabdhakalpadruma⁷ is Samana gotraja or from the same lineage.

Marriages & Gotras:-

In a patrilineal Hindu society (most common), the bride belongs to her father's gotra before the marriage, and to her husband's gotra after the marriage. The groom on the other hand only belongs to his father's gotra throughout his life.

Marriages within the gotra ('sagotra' marriages) are not permitted under the rule of exogamy in the traditional matrimonial system. The word 'sagotra' is union the words 'sa' + gotra, where 'sa' means same or similar. People within the gotra are regarded as kin and marrying such a person would be thought of as incest.The Tamil words 'sagotharan' (brother) and 'sagothari' (sister) derive their roots from the Sanskrit word 'sahodara' meaning co-uterine or born of the same womb. In communities where gotra membership passed from father to children, marriages were allowed between maternal uncle and niece⁸, while such marriages were forbidden in matrilineal communities, like Malayalis and Tuluvas, where gotra membership was passed down from the mother⁹.

A much more common characteristic of south Indian Hindu society is permission for marriage between cross-cousins (children of brother and sister). Thus, a man is allowed to marry his maternal uncle's daughter or his paternal aunt's daughter, but is not allowed to marry his father's brother's daughter. She would be considered a parallel cousin who is treated as a sister.¹⁰

Gotra in Vedas & Puranas:- 

According to Agni Purana¹¹ women from the same gotra is not married or from the family acknowledging from the same rishi. Marriage of a woman is not forbidden where the bridegroom is not related to her within seven degrees in fathers line or five degrees in the side of the mother.

A lively discussion between Yama and Yami in Rigveda¹², which shows that, though marriage with a near relative may have been common in early times, it was falling into disuse in the later Vedic period.

In Satapatha Brahmana there is a passage that refers to the union of brothers and sisters in the third or the fourth generation. Harisvamin, the commentator on the above Brahmana says, in the way of illustration, that Kanva married a girl in the third generation. In Surastra there are instances of marriage in the fourth generation. The prohibition of marriage in one's Pinda also does not seem to be in force in the Vedic period. In the Khailika hymn (VIII) Indra is invoked in the way which shows that daughters of maternal uncle and paternal aunt could be married¹³.

In Mahabharatha Shanthi Parva¹⁴ the conversation between Janaka & Sulabha gives a hint of prohibition of marriage in sagotra.

Vedic rituals are not connected with Gotra Sacrificers have not to choose only those hymns that were composed by their own Gotra-Kr-ts. The Apri hymns are the only exceptions; but this is the view of the Srauta Sutras only and the Yajurveda does not lay any such restriction. Thus Gotra was not as yet much consulted in the matter of religious ceremonies¹⁵.

Prohibition of marriage within the Pravara is first found in the Grhyasutras, but there is no similar prohibition of Sagotra marriage. Apastamba, Kausika, Baudhayana and Paraskara, all avoid Pravara but not Gotra. From the time of the Dharmasutras, however, Sagotra and Sapinda marriages are being prohibited. Vasistha prohibits Sagotra marriage. But the range of Gotra was still very limited and marriage was possible beyond the seventh generation of the father and the fifth of the mother. According to the Apastamba Grhyasutra, however, the limits of Gotra were extended. It could go too far and was not co-extensive with the seventh generation of the father.

Almost all the metrical Smrtis declare the marriages within the Gotra, ipso facto, invalid. Such marriages could not be legalized, nor the children born of such wedlocks. But there seems to be still some leniency about marrying a girl within the Gotra, One Smrti prescribes only an ordinary atonement for marrying a girl within the Gotra. While later on the marriage is nullified and the punishment is very severe¹⁶.

The later writers on Dharmasastra are dead against Sagotra and Sapinda marriages. They prohibit not only such marriages but try to explain away ancient statements that might go against them. For example, they say that the invocation to Indra in the Khailika hymn is not a Vidhi (rule) but an Arthavada (praise); if it were a rule, incest would become permissible. The writers in later period quotes the Brahma Purana, Prohibiting Sagotra marriage which is equivalent to cow-slaughter, as Kalivarjya.- "prohibited in the Kali age". These facts show that the prohibition of Sagotra marriage was an accomplished fact during the time of the commentators and the Nibandhakaras. Since then it has been followed in the Hindu society with every care¹⁷.

Hence marriage with a person having same Gotra as of the original Gotras of paternal grandfather, paternal grandmother, maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother is prohibited. In certain cases of incest, the Garuda Purana¹⁸ prescribes suicide as the only acceptable penance.

Mythological examples of sagotra marriages:-

Svayambhuva-Manu married Shatarupa, who bore him three daughters by name Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. Of these Akuti was given in marriage to the Prajapati Ruchi who had through her a son Hari and a daughter Dakshina  . The brother and sister were married as husband and wife. To these were born twelve sons¹⁹.

Marriage of paternal cousins, now condemned, is not unknown to Hindu tradition. Marichi and Daksha were brothers and Kasyapa, the son of the former, married Aditi and other daughters of the latter²⁰. The Biblical prophet Abraham married his own step sister Sarai²¹.

In Sri Lankan folklore, there are at least three significant instances where incest is mentioned. The forefather of the Sinhala race, "Sinhabahu", is a king who married his own sister "Sinhaseevali". Incest is again mentioned when King Vijaya's son and daughter fled to the jungle together in protest of their father's second marriage. Also, the brother "Dantha" and the sister "Hemamalini" who brought the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha to the island, seemed to also have a married relationship²².

What is Consanguinity?

Consanguinity ("con- (with/together) sanguine (blood) –ity (noun marker)") refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person²³. Consanguinity also means the amount of shared (identical) DNA, the genetic material. For example, first cousins have four times the consanguinity of second cousins. First cousins once removed have half the shared DNA as full first cousins. Half-fourth cousins sometimes cannot be detected at the DNA level. Finally , double first cousins share twice the consanguinity as first cousins and are as related as half-siblings²⁴.

The term consanguinity is used to describe unions between couples who are known to share genes inherited from one or more common ancestors. Globally, the most common form of consanguineous marriage is between first cousins, who are predicted to have 12.5% of their genes in common, and so on average their progeny will be homozygous at 6.25% of gene loci, equivalent to a coefficient of inbreeding (F) of 0.0625 (Bittles 2001).

Consanguinity in regions & religions:

According to Senart the Aryan people practiced in affairs of marriage both a rule of exogamy and endogamy. A man must marry a women of equal birth, but not of the same genes, according to the Roman law as interpreted by Senart and Kovalevsky, and an Athenian must marry an Athenian women, but not of the same genos. Historically closest consanguineous marriage was performed between brothers and sisters by sthe Egyptian Pharaohs to preserve the royal blood and interestingly Cleopatra was born out of such marriage²⁵.

Consanguineous unions remain preferential in North Africa, the Middle East and some parts of Asia, with marriage between first cousins being particularly common. Communities such as the Dhond and the Bhittani of Pakistan clearly prefer marriages between cousins as they ensure purity of the descent line, provide intimate knowledge of the spouses, and ensure that patrimony will not pass into the hands of "outsiders".²⁶ Sri Lankan culture regards incest as a taboo. Then again, contemporary Sri Lankan culture is heavily influenced by the cultures of former colonial rulers, during the last couple of centuries²⁷.

In the Catholic Church, marriage is never permitted if the potential spouses are related in the collateral line up to and including the fourth degree. The Church does not permit the marriage if a doubt exists on whether the potential spouses are related by consanguinity in any degree of the direct line or in the second degree of the collateral line.²⁸

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, marriages are not allowed between second cousins or closer and between second uncles / aunts and second nieces / nephews (between first cousins once removed) or closer²⁹.

Although consanguineous marriage is common in all Indian Muslim communities, the Quran contains no specific guidance that could be interpreted as encouraging consanguinity (Hussain 1999). Indeed, according to one of the hadith, a recorded pronouncement of the Prophet Muhammad, cousin marriages were better discouraged. On the other hand the Prophet married his daughter Fatima to Ali, his paternal first cousin and ward. Thus, for Muslims, cousin marriage could be interpreted as following the sunnah, i.e. the deeds of the Prophet.

Hindus in northern India as a practice outlaw the consanguineous marriage by avoiding the same `gothra' or patrilineal relationship between the probable bride and the groom. National Family and Health Survey (IIPS 1995) says, unions between biological kin are uncommon in the northern, eastern and north-eastern states because of a general prohibition on consanguineous marriage in the majority Hindu population. The prohibition is believed to date back to approximately 200 BC and forbids the marriage of a man with the daughter of his father’s sister or of his mother’s sister, or of his mother’s brother (Kapadia 1958;Sanghvi 1966; Rao 1984).Cross-cousin marriage was recognized in the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, and the legality of uncle–niece unions was subsequently confirmed in the Hindu Code Bill of 1984 (Appaji Rao et al. 2002). As a result, consanguineous unions increase in prevalence in the states south of the Narmada, with the highest rates reported in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu .

Atulya gotra in Ayurveda:-

Ayurveda emphasizes on prevention of diseases. The first step towards this prevention is previous to birth itself.Just like Ahara & Nidra Abrahmacharya is also essential for Healthy life.  Achievement of a healthy progeny (Shreyasi Prajaamichheth)³⁰ is the main aim of couple.

Procurement of a healthy offspring begins with the selection of the partner. Acharya Charaka states that the partner who performs coitus for achieving a child should be of “Atulya gotra.” i.e of dissimilar gotras.

AtuLy go5a. v<*ya. c p/º*3a. in=p³van | c ic ÊãÉãÉÍ

AtuLygo5Sy rj:9yaNte rhoivs<*3. im4unIk<tSy |

ik. SyaXctu*paTp/wv. c 8D\Wyo yt\ S5I8u gwRTvmupEit pu.s: ||

xuk/. tdSy p/vdiNt 2Ira y²Iyte gwRsmuWdvay |

vaTviGnwUMyVgu`padv%t\ 8DWyo rseWy: p/wvXc tSy || c xa ÊãË,Ì

For procreation of a healthy child it is necessary that the male & female should be mutually of a different clan. Coitus among the member of the same clan is a sinful act which does not have the sanction of scriptures. Chakrapani comments a male & a female from atulya gotra should be married to each other.If they are from tulya or same gotra then it is a sinful act according to the Dharma shastra.

tuLygo5a`a. ih mE4une™2moR wvit, 2mRxaS5e8u ini8²Tvat\ | ck/pai`

Gangadhara comments describing that a Shaddhatuka purusha who take birth in a Human womb should follow the principles of atulya gotra prior cohabition which is mandatory. He defines atulya gotra as :-

yo yya n tuLyo go5: s tSya AtuLygo5: | g.ga2r

Which means the the male & female before copulation should be of two different clan. He adds Panini quoting that the apatya marga to procure the progeny should be of two different clans. Not only of different clan but before uniting the female should have completed the three nights of menstruation. The copulation can be performed from 4^th day to 16^th day of the cycle in a lonely place.Garbha or the womb can only be formed if all the elements from both the male & female are in proper condition. When explaining about gotra he himself raises a question whether the concept of atulya gotra spoken here is applied for Parajayaya (female other than his own wife) or Swajayaya (own wife). Further, he answers the query saying  that here the concept of atulya gotra is only spoken for Dharmya vishayas or righteous acts  which is followed according to the Dharma Shastra.This  means the atulya gotra is applicable to those who follow Vaidika Karmas or the rituals according to the Dharma Shastra.There is no meaning in discussing  about the invalid things who do not follow the Vaidikas or Dharmashastras.So according to Dharma Shastra the male who marries a female & cohabits only with his single wife is considered to be Vaidaka or following the rules of religion. So before the marriage, the male & female should be of different clan rather after marriage they cannot be called as atulya gotriyas as they belong to same clan.

Gangadhara continues the commentary referring to Manu’s aphorism :-

Asip~Da c ya matursgo5a c ya iptu: |

sa p/xSta iµjatIna. darkmRi` mE4une || m Sm< ËãÍ

Manu Dharma shastra quotes not only atulya gotra but also Asapinda which means from different pinda (kinsman connected with ancestors) to have a progeny & such pairs only are eligible to get married(darakarma), The atulya gotra here is not only considered before marriage for the couples who get married but Gangadhara adds saying that the male & female who are yet to marry also should be the progeny of different clans that is the Parents of a girl & Boy should also be of different clan before marriage. Though the parents are of same clan at present they should be of different clan before they were married. So, even the progeny of sagotra marriages were denied for marriage which was considered Adharma.

sip~Dta tu puru8e sPtme ivinvtRte |

smanodkwavStu jNmnaMnervedne || mnu Sm< ÍãÎÒ

The Sapinda-relationship ceases with the seventh person (in the ascending and descending lines), the Samanodaka-relationship when the (common) origin and the (existence of a common family)-name are no(longer) known.

durpTy. kula¥aro go5e jat. mhTyip  | A h< ÉãÊÑ

mhTyip go5e jat. ]Tk<*3e™ip kul. ]TpNn. A¥arkayRkar`sam$yaRt\ smStTkulivnaxhetuTvaTkula¥ar [TyuCyte || Aru`dTt

Vagbhata in ashtanga hridaya defines the rule of marriage saying whatever the factors which is going to destruct the progeny should be avoided. The gotra which should be of admirable features which should be according to the kula & desha. Kula here may be occupation which is followed from generation & desha is the rules & rituals followed according to the geographical area.

A4 qlu pumanekiv.xitv8R: kNyamtuLygo5a.tuLyaiwjnams.cairrogkulp/sUta. ………………………| A s. xa ÉãÊ

yiSmn kule s.carI rog: ku*#pE¥Lyaid: naiSt, ………………………|[Ndu

Astanga Sangrahakara while describing the qualities of the girl eligible for marriage also adds the importance of Kanya from atulya gotra to be selected, which can prevent the Kula sanchari rogas or the diseases which are prevalent in the family.The kula sanchari rogas are said to be Kushta,Paingulya etc. according to Indu the commentator.

A¥p/Ty¥inv<RiTt Svwavadev jayte |

A¥p/Ty¥inv<RTtO ye wviNt gu`agu`a: ||

tee te gwRSy iv)eyo 2maR2mRinimTtja: || su xa ËãËÎ

Sushrutha quotes the formation of Garbha or womb & its qualities of development of each & every part of the body is natural & spontaneous & the qualities & conditions which mark these organs are determined by the acts of the child which are anterior to its genesis & were done on its prior existence. It can also include the righteous acts of parents who give birth.

xuk/xoi`t s.yoge wve±o8 ]Tk3: |

p/k<itjaRyte ten tSya me l9`. &<`u || su xa ÌãÎË

n ih svRmev bIj. dUi8t. ik. tihR bIjavyvo dUi8t: n cavyvgtdo8e` gwRp/itbN2o jaTyN2mUkadegwRSydxRnat\ | tSma´ 0va.xo bIjSy du*3o wvit tTkayRSyEv gwaRvyvSy ivk<itrwsavo va wvit; y4a d<*yarmWke bIjwage du*3e jaTyaN2o gwoR wvit n tu gwR 0v n wvit, t4a do8aQye bIjwage du*3e tTkayRSyev gwRxrIrwavSy sm2atorpe9ya ivk<it: Sfui3tkrcr`aidl9`a wvit n tu gwRVya6atn |  DLh`

He also adds saying that the Dosha or the exaggerating factors which are in its peak whilst the time of cohabition of Shukra & shonitha (a sperm & ovum), the same would be the characters of the progeny.If any component of the sperm or the ovum is with some defects then according to that the diseases would also arise.The natural process of development of organs is not considered to be defection in the womb but the defective alteration which happens due to Beeja (sperm & ovum) and  Beejavayava (component) is invisible in garbha.Therefore atulya gotra also might have its effects on the quality of beeja which can produce a healthy progeny.

Factors responsible for the abortion of the fetus:-

bIjaTmkmaRxykaldo8E: matuSt4a™™harivhardo8E: |

kuvRiNt do8a iviv2ain du*3a: s.S4anv`RiNd/yvEk<tain ||c xa ÊãÊÑ

Due to defects of beeja (sperm or ovum), the genetic factors,the self,past deed,uterus & time,mothers fod & behavior,the vitiated doshas produce various abnormalities in shape ,complexion & sense organs.

Though acharyas have mentioned the importance of atulya gotras in marriage no consequences are described directly. The defects of Shukra ,Shonitha & even the Garbhopaghatakara bhavas are elaborately dealt nevertheless the tulya gotra marriages is considered to be adharma. As for as the discussion on Adharma, prajnaparadha is said to be the origin.So if the principles of marriage is considered then one must follow the atulya gotra vada in choosing the spouse if not it would be a prajnaparadha.If one follows Dharma then only one can attain happiness³¹.

Adharma is considered to be sinful in Shastras.That which is Manasantapaka (distressing), Mahajanaviruddha (disagreeable to eminent men) & Shareeraopatapaka (disease bringing) is Adharma.Like the seed which is sown does not sprout immediately in same way even the consequances of Adharma will not be seen immediately. Any vicious & misfortune happens because of Adharma according to Charaka³².Sagotragami will have Bhagandara roga³³ is mentioned in of texts but the condition of progeny as a result of sagotra marriages is not clear though it can be considered under Beeja & Beejavayava doshas.

Theories on formation of gotra ,Why atulyagotra?

Different schools give various angles of opinion

·         The custom of exogamy arose owing to the paucity of women in early times.

·          to prevent the early sexual promiscuity within the clan.

·         Due to the absence of sexual attraction between persons who are brought up together.

·          The patriarch of the family himself wanted to keep the young girls of the family for himself.

·         The clan blood was regarded sacred and to spare the divinity of the totem one had to refrain from its appropriation for sexual purpose.

·         To increase the number of followers of a particular gotra.

            These theories do not seem to be conclusive in them. To take the first theory even if granted that the female population was less than the male one, in ancient times, the paucity of women would not stand in the way of every young man for taking his wife from within his own clan. As regards the second theory, we are quite familiar with the fact that the savages are not credited with such a thoughtful scheme of improving morality of the clan. The third theory does not take the facts in order; the absence of sexual attraction is a result rather than the cause of prohibition; for example, animals do not betray such repulsion, and in many religious orgies of India, even at present, no scruples are felt in sexual intercourse within the same clan. The fourth theory of patriarchal coercion is borrowed from the beast-herds, where the strongest animal drives the younger ones away from the females. But will not the patriarch appropriate the new-corners also? So the origin of exogamy must be sought for somewhere else. The theory of totemic sanctity also is not supported by facts. It is not probable that the totem was regarded as divine in the period when the custom of exogamy arose. Moreover, the members of the clan were regarded as friends and equal and not as gods. In this case the clan blood was not too sacred for sexual intercourse³⁴.

Atulya gotra might have been introduced to avoid the jealousy and quarrel in the family also. When marriage was allowed in the family, the same girl was desired by a number of cousins, who sometimes quarreled among themselves. To prevent this trouble, the head of the family might have thought it wise to arrange the marriage of young men outside the family.

Pseudo-theoreticians say that as the genes descend from the same ancestor within a clan, marriages within the clan will trouble the offspring because of the conjugation of the same genes; Both social and economic reasons are given for the popularity of consanguineous unions (Bittles et al. 1991;Bittles 1994). It is believed that consanguineous marriage helps to strengthen family ties, and at the same time health or financial uncertainties that could arise through marriage with a partner from another family or community will be avoided. Premarital arrangements are greatly simplified in consanguineous unions, and the relationship of a couple, especially the bride, with their in-laws (and family relatives) is expected to be more congenial. Economic considerations also are important and, in communities where either dowry or bride-wealth payments are the norm, the arrangement of a marriage within the family reduces or even abolishes the associated financial costs (Badaruddoza and Afzal 1995).

Demerits  of Sagotra & Consanguinity

Darwin says. "The consequence of close inter-breeding carried on for too long a time are, as is generally believed, loss of size, constitutional vigour, and fertility, sometimes accompanied by a tendency of malformation³⁵. Marriages between close relatives within a gotra reflect inbreeding with significant health consequences. Inbreeding generally increases pre-reproductive mortality and crude mortality increases with inbreeding in proportion to the mortality rate.³⁶

Inbreeding leads to a higher probability of congenital birth defects because it increases that proportion of zygotes that are homozygous, in particular for deleterious recessive alleles that produce such disorders.³⁷ Because most such alleles are rare in populations, it is unlikely that two unrelated marriage partners will both be heterozygous carriers. However, because close relatives share a large fraction of their alleles, the probability that any such rare deleterious allele present in the common ancestor will be inherited from both related parents is increased dramatically with respect to non-inbred couples. Contrary to common belief, inbreeding does not in itself alter allele frequencies, but rather increases the relative proportion of homozygotes to heterozygotes. However, because the increased proportion of deleterious homozygote’s exposes the allele to natural selection, in the long run its frequency decreases more rapidly in inbred population. In the short term, reproduction is expected to produce increases in spontaneous abortions of zygotes, perinatal deaths, and postnatal offspring with birth defects. HM Slatis³⁸ showed a significant delay in time to first pregnancy in first-cousin marriages as compared with unrelated individuals in the same population. There may also be other deleterious effects besides those caused by recessive diseases. Thus, similar immune systems may be more vulnerable to infectious diseases ( Major Histocompatibility Complex and Sexual Selection).³⁹

The extent to which the risk increases depends on the degree of genetic relationship between the parents; so the risk is greater in mating relationships where the parents are close relatives, but for relationships between more distant relatives, such as second cousins, the risk is lower (although still greater than the general population).The risk increases down the bloodline with each successive consanguineous marriage⁴⁰.

Myths & facts

One in two rural marriages in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are consanguineous. It is sad to note that many movies in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh highlight and glorify consanguinity. Evidence suggests that consanguinity does play a negative role in human health. The social benefits of consanguinity should not outweigh the biological damages; many in the community are ignorant about these facts. While assessing the consequence of consanguineous against non-consanguineous (non-blood related) marriages in health and disease, several scientific studies have shown that consanguinity leads to death of infants before, during or immediately after birth, increased incidence of birth defects, genetic diseases including blinding disorders, blood cancer (acute lymphocytic leukemia), breathing problems for children at birth (apnea), increased susceptibility to disease etc⁴¹.

There also is evidence that the levels of consanguineous marriage within the Hindu community have decreased since the 1961 Census of India (Roychoudhury 1976), although high levels of consanguineous marriage have continued among tribal groups (Joseph and Mathew 1991). groups (Joseph and Mathew 1991). A comprehensive listing of genetic disorders that have been diagnosed in the progeny of consanguineous couples is available at the website http://www.consang.net. Nonetheless, it is probable that increased urbanization and the gradual shift to smaller family sizes will impose constraints on consanguineous marriage in future generations. In this respect, a reduced prevalence of uncle–niece marriages would appear to be especially likely because of unacceptable age differentials between the potential partners (Radha Rama Devi et al. 1982).

Some scientists contradict these studies and state that other biological factors could be accountable for the results and not consanguinity alone. Consanguinity could increase the risk of inheriting any one of the 4968 (autosomal recessive) genetic diseases that could affect any part of the body from head to foot⁴².

Why do consanguineous marriages result in children with genetic diseases? Due to inheritance parents and children, and brothers and sisters, commonly share 50 per cent of their genetic make-up. Similarly uncle and niece share 25 per cent and first cousins 12.5 per cent of their inherited genetic material as it originates from a common ancestor. In such situations if there are any `silent' genetic defects, then such errors manifesting as a disease in the child of a consanguineous parents is high⁴³.

The prohibition on marriage within the clan strengthens its uni lineal character .If a person is married within the clan his or her children would find it difficult to make sharp distinctions between maternal & paternal relatives⁴⁴.

The products of close marriages tend to produce an increase of the various types of genetic disorders such as birth defects, mental retardation, deafness and blindness. Most pregnancies do terminate prematurely or as abortions or miscarriages, which in itself are signs of an unhealthy pregnancy, perhaps one carrying a defect.

Throwing light on Prevention aspects:- The main thrust towards a reduced frequency of consanguineous matings remains in the field of preventive genetics in the form of general education of society and specific programmes such as preconception counselling and genetic counselling.As Ayurveda also emphasizes more on prevention then its pertinent to follow the apthavachana of Atulya Gotra before marriage as the the consequances & the treatment modalities are not aforementioned.

REFERENCES:-

1.      http://www.indian express.com/news/Haryana-panchayat-takes-on-govt-over-samegotra-marriage/491548

2.      Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision)

3.      Motilal Banarsidas publications Pg 174,Hindu saṁskāras: socio-religious study of the Hindu sacraments By Rajbali Pandey

4.      http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.htm  Issue 69

5.      Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision)

6.      Amarakosha by AmaraSimha (2.6.808) saṃtatirgotrajananakulānyabhijanānvayau | atha brahmavargaḥ.

7.      Shabdhakalpadruma by Raja Radha Kantadev, Vol 5.

8.      http://countrystudies.us/india/86.htm

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28.  http://www.catholicdoors.com/misc/marriage/canonlaw.htm The code of Canon law & marriage.

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30.  Charaka Samhitha Shareerasthana Chapter 8,Shloka 3.

31.  Charaka Samhitha Shareerasthana Chapter 2,Shloka 41.

32.  Charaka Samhitha Vimanasthana Chapter 3/28

33.  Vyavahara Ayurveda, Pg 433,Chapter 11.

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35.  Encyclopedia of Religion, Part 7 By James Hastings, http://books.google.co.in/books

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39.  Lieberman,D; Tooby, J;Cosmides, L.(2003)”Does mortality have a biological basis? An empirical test of thefactors governing moral sentiments relating to incest”.Proceedings of the Royal society B; Biological Sciences 270(1517):819.doi:10.1098/rspb.2002.2290.edit

40.  Kingston H M, "ABC of Clinical Genetics", Page 7, 3rd Edition (2002), BMJ Books, London, 0-7279-1627-0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consanguinity

41.  http://www.hindu.com/seta/2004/04/29/stories/2004042900161600.htm, Problems with consanguineous marriage.

42.  http://www.pragoti.in/node/4145, Love in the time of Khap Thu 2010-09-23 11:09/ TV Venkateswaran.

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44.  Cultural Anthropology  By Serena Nanda, Richard L. Warms, http://books.google.co.in/books