The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c7.s5.2

c7.s5.2

Dumb, deaf, blind or lame persons were naturally regarded as undesirable spouses. Marriages with them were however not regarded as invalid, probably because it was realised that they too have the sex instinct and are perhaps in greater need for a partner in life than ordinary individuals. Levirate was current in early times and so even impotency was not regarded as an insuperable impediment. The instance of Pāṇḍu shows that in such cases the wife could get issues by levirate. Manu includes children of impotent persons among his list of heirs¹. When however, levirate went out of vogue on account of its strong condemnation by the reformist school, marriages with impotent persons were declared to be invalid by writers like Parāśara and Nārada.² Both these jurists allow the wife of an impotent person to remarry. When, however, remarriages went out of vogue, this remedy became unavailable.