So,
when a daughter–in-law is taunted because she gave birth to a girl, grave
injustice is being done. It is not her fault.
The gotra system is in the news again as a misinformed script of an advertisement or designer apparel chooses to confuse the act of the father giving his daughter away in marriage to a sale or barter.
In
2011, honour killings increased and a film called ‘Khap’ on the subject, was
sought to be banned. A belief deep rooted in our tradition and widely prevalent
in various parts of India is the prohibition of marriages within the gotra.
Families are known to chase and murder the couple who secretly elope, ignoring
the laws against sa-gotra or same gotra marriages. A TV serial based on this
subject has a great following among viewers.
I
found this article “Why Is Gotra And
Parampara Reserved For Males?” by Gnanasekhar in the Tamil monthly Aalayam dated July 2011. I am attempting
a translation as I found the information to be of value to all.
‘Our
ancestors always believed that the male line determines the family line. It was
the male who determined the ancestry. Why? Is it because a girl is inferior or
because she leaves her paternal home for her marital home? Why does her gotram
change to her husband’s? Modern scientists claim to have discovered DNA, a
subject our ancestors were already knowledgeable about.
When
a marriage is arranged, the family enquires about the kulam and gotram. This is
to prevent an inadvertent possibility of incest. Those who belong to the same
gotram may be related by blood. Marrying first cousins is usually prohibited in
the Hindu dharma. There are two reasons, medical and the necessity to protect
the strength of our human line.
The
Rishis who established the gotra system and those who preserved the sanctity of
the system were brilliant when compared to the modern scientist. Our ancestors
knew about DNA without cutting a piece of flesh for a biopsy or breaking cells
up to unravel chromosomes and decide the DNA of a man.
There
are eight Rishis who form the root of the gotra system. Angirasa, Atri, Kashyapa,
Bharadwaja, Bhrigu, Vashistha, Gautama
and Kuthasa. Today there are 49 gotras. The gotra of the groom must be
different from the bride. The bride takes on her husband’s gotram after her
marriage. This is formally done during the marriage ceremony where the father
hands over the daughter’s gotra to the groom’s lineage. The children born of
this union also belong to the father’s gotram. Even if the families are
strangers, they are still considered blood relatives.
To
understand this, we have to analyse and review the facts about reproduction.
‘A
child is born with 23 pairs of chromosomes, that is, 23 chromosomes from each
parent. Female chromosomes are called XX and a male’s XY. If the embryo is
formed with the male X and female X it is a XX or, a girl. But if the X of the
female and Y of the male unite, it is XY or a boy. X is common to both genders.
Y is seen only in males.’ (It is important to understand here that it is the
husband who is responsible for the birth of a male child, for he possesses the
Y chromosome which determines the sex of an embryo.
‘Every
male child inherits Y from his father, grandfather and so on. X is inherited
through females, i.e., girl inherits X from her mother, grandmother and so on.
Thus, the male is considered the preserver of genes and much importance is
given to his role in inheritance.
‘A
girl gets only the X chromosomes from both. The Y chromosome is a pure trail
and is not polluted by contact or infected by any other Y chromosome. Only a
male can give his Y chromosomes to his child. When a child is born, he/she
assumes the gotra of the father.’
‘Brothers
of the same gotram inherit the genes of the family, including diseases.
Following the gotra system helps to inhibit this.’
‘When
you examine the XY chromosomes of a male, the Y is weaker than the X
chromosome. It is amazing why a male becomes stronger than a female after
birth. If a family has only daughters, then that family line comes to an end. (Hence
the mourning if a girl is born). Ironically, this makes a woman pure XX but a
male is a half female XY.’ (We can understand the Shiva –Shakti philosophy
which projects this scientific fact in a beautiful manner.)
The
single chromosome Y has been copied (like a Xerox) over the centuries. This has
weakened it even further. This is the reason why our ancestors have created the
gotra system to protect their clan. Marriage between cousins on the paternal
side or maternal side is prohibited by the gotra system precisely for this
purpose. That is why gotra is important as it preserves the clan and the male
genes. Unfortunately, it is possible that Y becomes so weak that it can be
destroyed eventually. Then the male may cease to exist. It is possible for
women to give birth to females only.
This
is why the birth of a male is celebrated more than a female.
Key words #Gotra, #Lineage, #Saptarishis, #Marriage, #Gender, #Chromosomes,
