The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c8.98

c8.98

“Take a girl out of a family who belongs to the same family as we” (ekaṃ samajātikakulā kumārikaṃ gaṇha. III. 422). The Brāhmaṇa agriculturist marries his son to the daughter of a Brāhmaṇa belonging to a similar family (so [brāhmaṇo] puttassa vayappattassa samānakulato kumārikaṃ ānesi. III. 162. So also IV. 22); the Brahmana parents give express instructions to the people whom they send for finding a girl for their son to bring a Brāhmaṇa girl (brāhmaṇakumārikaṃ ānetha. III. 93). Among the Brāhmaṇas, it is principally the rich and aristocratic families who wished to secure riches and aristocracy through equal marriage: the son of a good family (kulaputta) is married by the parents to the daughter of one belonging to an equal family (assa mātāpitaro samānajatiyaṃ kulato dārikaṃ ānayimsu. I. 199). To the inclinations of young people, very little or no weight was attached; we always read that the elders consult with each other without consulting their children—who, it is remarked, are grown up; to the Bodhisatta who is re-born in a village not far from Benares in a gahapati family the elders send a girl of good family from Benares (kuladhitaram ānesum II. 121) and a seṭṭhi living in asmall market-town in the province courts ¹ for the sake of his son the daughter of a seṭṭhi in Benares. (II. 225.)