|
by Jayaram V
Polygamy and polyandry were prevalent In ancient India, but it is doubtful whether
they were ever popular in the public opinion. It was practiced mostly by the warrior castes and rich merchants.
Polygamy in ancient India was a matter of personal choice, status symbol
and at times social, moral and religious obligation. Marriage in
traditional Hinduism was meant for progeny and carrying out obligatory
duties (dharmakaryam) in accordance of a person's dharma so that the
four major aims (purusharthas) of human life could be realized. If
polygamy served these ideals, the Hindu law books did not object to its
practice. Polygamy in the Hindu Law Books
The Hindu law books made provision for polygamy and certain marriages
under special circumstances, not for the purpose of carnal pleasures,
but for procreation and continuation of family lineage. According to
Hindu law
books, a woman had no independence of her own. She always needed protection
from her closest relations so that she would not seduce men and bring
disrepute to herself and her family. It was the duty of her husband and
the male members of his family to keep a close watch on her and never to
leave her in the company of other males. If her husband died leaving her
childless and without protection, she had the permission to marry his
brother, strictly for the purpose of begetting children and find a
shelter1. A woman whose husband left her to a foreign country or disappeared
for a particular period of time, unless he took sanyasa (renunciation),
had the permission to remarray according to her free will2. Women were
often sold and purchased publicly markets and the people who purchased
had complete rights over them. The law books declared any marriage
between a man and any women he purchased illegal. Yagnavalkya Smriti
prescribes that men should marry women who were not married before. But
the same rule was not mentioned in case of men3. The
same book suggests if "a man's wife drinks alcohol, is sickly,
cantankerous, barren, wastes money, quarrelsome, begets only female
children or is hostile to men, then he may take another wife."
However in the next verse there is a clear indication that the
superceded wife should still be maintained and not abandoned.
Yagnavalkya also suggests that if a man has many wives, he should not
ask a younger wife to perform religious duties with him
The Baudhayana
Dharmashastra prescribes the following rules regarding the number of
wives and the status of children borne out of such wedlocks4:
There are four castes (varna, viz.) Brâhmanas, Kshatriyas,
Vaisyas, and Sûdras. Males belonging to them may take wives
according to the order of the castes, viz. a Brâhmana four, a
Kshatriya three, a Vaisya two and a Sûdra one. Sons begotten on wives
of equal or of the next lower castes are called Savarnas of equal
caste. Those born of(wives of the second or third lower castes become
Ambashthas, Ugras, and Nishâdas. Of females wedded in the
inverse order of the castes are born Âyogavas, Mâgadhas, Vainas,
Kshattris, Pulkasas, Kukkutakas, Vaidehakas, and Chandâlas.
Many Hindu gods are also depicted as polygamous, with two or more wives. The goddesses are not actually wives in the physical sense but pure universal energies
who assist their gods to maintain dharma (good order) in the universe. They do not possess physical bodies, though they can appear in human form if they want to.
If we study the history of ancient India, we realize that polygamy and polyandry were practiced by the rich and the powerful, while the sages and seers were strictly monogamous or completely celibate. We also notice that whether it was in the past or in the present, polygamy was never a popular practice in the public opinion.
Yet in the epics and the Puranas we cannot fail to notice the prevalence
of the practice and the tensions and the obstacles it created in the
families and in the performance of obligatory duties. Lord Rama, an
incarnation of Vishnu, was strictly monogamous, a practice that was in
accordance with the mortal standards of Treta yuga (the great epoch) in
which he incarnated. In contrast, Lord Krishna, another incarnation of
Vishnu, who incarnated in the Dwapara yuga, was polygamous. The Pandavas,
to whom he was related through his sister, practiced both polyandry and
polygamy. It was a sign of the declining moral standards that were
creeping into society, as a part of the process of creation, in which
the Dharma was meant to decline gradually from order to disorder, from
monogamy to polygamy to mixed marriages to, finally, sham marriage or no
marriage. Hinduism Does Not Favor Polygamy
Hindu scriptures describe family as a social institution, and at the same time as an integral part of this illusory world. In the ultimate sense the institution
of family is meant to keep each individual chained to the world of illusion. The relationships in the family are meant to
develop attachment, selfishness and desires. In the end these relationships really do not last,
just as everything here is impermanent and each individual is left to
himself or herself to take care of liberation. When it comes to the
pursuit of the three chief aims of human life (purusharthas), namley
dharma (religion), artha (wealth) and kama (sensual pleasure), we may
take advantage of conjugal relationships, but in case of the fourth aim,
moksha (liberation), we have to take sole responsibility for its
attainment, by withdrawing ourselves from all relationships, attachments
and allurements. From a spiritual perspective, Hinduism therefore rightly
views family as an illusion (samsara maya) and the main cause of our
attachments. A family is a coming together of different souls, each having his or her own distinct spiritual agenda and final
destiny, joined together by some predominant goals or purposes and bound
by the karma of their previous lives. Some relationships may last over
several lives, while some are meant for a short duration. Hidden in each
relationship are some important lessons, messages and learning
opportunities, by knowing which we make progress in our lives. On the
evolutionary path, each soul has to work out its own salvation by its
self-effort. Others may facilitate or obstruct the process, according to
the choices we make. What appears to be other peoples' involvement or interference
in one's life is, in reality, nothing to do with oneself but with
themselves. Family relationships are, in a way, a great distraction, because they develop attachment and delay the liberation of the of the soul. What is true and what makes life meaningful is our relationship with God, because in the real
sense the hidden self is nothing but God only. Hinduism therefore exhorts every individual to be wary of the illusory nature of the family and develop
a divine oriented attitude, while performing their obligatory duties as a sacrifice to God. Since
family itself is an instrument of maya, polygamy makes it more difficult for
the male member involved in it to break out of his illusions. The extent
of karmic burden created out of multiple conjugal relationships is enormous
due to the number of lives that become entwined with him in his role as
the husband and the father of many. Whatever he does or does not would
effect the lives of the women he married and those of their children.
Spiritually, therefore polygamy is the least desirable option for an individual to pursue. Polygamy
in Contemporary Hindu Society
Present day Hindus do not practice polygamy. They consider both polygamy and polyandry primitive and
immoral, remnants of an old society that still haunt the lives of a few unfortunate victims.
It is not that it is entirely absent, but those who practice it are
subject to great social and family pressure. Many keep the second
marriage a secret, knowing the consequences. Some convert to Islam
officially to escape the law of the land. In India,
the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, declares polygamy as both illegal and
punishable under the law. One of the conditions stipulated by the
Act is that a marriage may be solemnized between any two Hindus, only if
neither party has a spouse living at the time of the marriage. The Act
also makes provision for seeking divorce on the grounds of adultery or
if either party had married again without divorce or were already
married and were not legally divorced. The Act explicitly declares
bigamy a punishable offence under Indian Penal Code.
Suggested Further Reading
Footnotes
1. Gautama 18.4
2. Gautama 18.15 to 17
3. Yagnavalkya Smriti 52-3
4. Baudhayana PRASNA I, ADHYÂYA 8, KANDIKÂ 16, verses 1-8
|
