Caste in India: The Facts and the System c6.s3.23

c6.s3.23

It is not easy to find a suitable name for this little exogamous circle enclosed within the wider periphery of the caste. Its limits, definition, and title vary to an extreme degree. On the other hand, it exists almost invariably and its effects make themselves felt everywhere. So great is the confusion that Hindu casuists have been obliged to abandon the attempt to establish systematic regulation. They have accepted as law the recognized usage in each family or in each group.¹ In spite of everything, the general rule stands out in very high relief. It may be summed up in a word: marriage in the *gotra* to which an individual belongs is forbidden.² Such at least is the traditional law established by the Brahmans.