The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c17.18

c17.18

In the same way as the Vedic ritual, the varṇa theory breaks up society. It does not stop at dividing society into four strictly separate blocks but goes a long way in breaking down the internal cohesion of each varṇa too. This becomes clear when we look at the rules pertaining to marriage. One should, of course, marry within one's varṇa, but the rules about forbidden degrees of relationship (*sapiṇḍa* relatives) are such that they exclude the otherwise normal—even normative—practice of marrying within the circle of known relatives (such as one's mother's brother's daughter). If strictly adhered to—as, of course, it hardly ever is or can be—the prohibition would prevent the formation and maintenance over the generations of a web of marriage exchanges. The exclusion of the sapiṇḍa relatives would cause the affinal network to crumble with each new generation, leaving the single patriline isolated. The intention clearly is to atomize society.