Niyoga (inviting a widow to remarry)

When it comes to society and marriage, it remains incomplete without talking about a particular issue, that is Niyoga . The practice of inviting a widow to remarry or have children was called Niyoga . However, this method was not considered sacred by everyone. For example, even though sage Gautama recognized it, but according to Āpastamba, it was completely forbidden. Almost the entire part of the Mahābhārata is filled by this Niyoga method.

There were several rules for this Niyoga. For example–

(1) The person whose wife will be Niyoga , whether he is dead or alive, must be childless,
(2) The family guru will decide who will be appointed for the Niyoga ,
(3) The person to be appointed should be the husband’s brother or his clan, caste and pravara should be equal, 
(4) This method should be done out of a sense of duty, not if it is a desired object,
(5) The person to be appointed must be anointed with ghee (Butter) or oil, not by words, kisses or playing tricks, 
(6) This relationship will last only until one or two children are born, 
(7) The widow must be young and healthy enough,
(8) After birth, the widow and the appointed person will consider each other as father-in-law and daughter-in-law.

In the Mahābhārata , Satyavati hire her stepson Bhīṣma to niyoga after the death of her own son Vicitravīrya but Bhīṣma refuses. Then Satyavati’s pre-marital son Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vedavyāsa was invited for Niyoga with the two widows of Vicitravīrya. From whom were born Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāndu and from a maid Vidura. There are also several examples of Niyoga in the MatsyaPurāṇa .

(I) verse 46 and 47 of the fiftieth chapter of Matsya Purāṇa contain the story of the birth of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāndu and Vidura from the wive of Vicitravīrya.

(II) Mahārāja Bāli’s wife Sudeṣṇāand sage Dīrghatamā’s Niyoga resulted as Bali’s five Kṣetraja sons named–Anga, Vanga, Suhya, Pundra and Kaliṅga.^[1]

(III) King Pāndu also had five Kṣetraja sons. From Dharmarāja, Kunti gave birth Yudhiṣṭhira, from Vāyu, Bhīma, and from Indra, Arjuna. From Aśvinīkumar’s, Mādrī gave birth to two sons Nakula and Sahadeva. The five were called Devadatta as they were born from Deva (Gods).^[2]

The study of social structure is very important in the study of society and culture. Social structure refers to the system with which the order of the whole part of society is related so that the elements of social life are connected together. These relationships are built one after the other. They can also be called a sequence of various complications. So the social structure is nothing more than a complete coordinator of social relations (Radcliffe brown A.R., Structure and function in primitive society, Ch. X pp 188ff). The study of social structure enables one to know how the various units of society who have direct or indirect contact with each other interact with each other in social life.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Matsya Purāṇa–Chapter 48/24, 25

[2]:

Matsya Purāṇa–Chapter 50/48, 49, 50