Niyoga

Hindu's tradition of conception by proxy fathers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Niyoga (Sanskrit: नियोग) was a Hindu practice, primarily followed during the ancient period, in the Indian subcontinent. Niyoga permitted widows or wives who had no child by their husband to procreate with another man.^[1]^[2]^[3] The purpose of niyoga was to ensure the continuation of the family lineage and to mitigate the financial and social precariousness that a childless widow would have faced in society.^[4] Niyoga was forbidden in Kali Yuga by Rishi Brhaspati and other Manusmriti writers.^[5] It has been held that niyoga is not akin to polyandry.^[6] Sir Henry Maine argued that niyoga was of a later date than levirate marriage (the Hebrew practice of marrying a brother's widow if she had no son), while J. D. Mayne described levirate union as merely an enlarged form of niyoga that came into effect after a man's death.^[7] The practice enabled a woman to bear children upon union with a male possessing "desirable seed".^[8]

Manusmṛti

In the Manusmṛti, niyoga is described in verses IX.59–63 and is permitted in IX.64–68. Verse IX.167 describes a child born through niyoga as a kshetraja (child of the wife).^[9]

Clauses of Niyoga

There were various clauses associated with this process:

The woman would agree to this only for the sake of rightfully having a child but not for sexual pleasure.^[10]
The child thus born would be considered the child of the husband-wife and not that of the appointed man.
The appointed man would not seek any paternal relationship or attachment to this child in the future.
To avoid misuse, a man was allowed a maximum of three times in his lifetime to be appointed in such a way.
The act will be seen as that of Dharma and while doing so, the man and the wife will have only Dharma in their mind and neither passion nor lust. The man will do it as a help to the woman in the name of God, whereas the woman will accept it only to bear the child for herself and her husband.^[11]
There was to be no foreplay or contact with the upper body. The bodies of both the male and female were smeared with ghee. A curtain was placed between them to prevent them from seeing each other's faces, avoiding the arousal of passion. Only the legs of the female were kept uncovered during the process.

Procedure

A wife or a widow must not, however, be forced to have recourse to Niyoga for inheritance or similar purposes. Baudhāyana and Vasistha say that a widow desiring Niyoga should avoid meat, honey etc. and sleep on the ground for a short period not exceeding one year. Six months after the death of her husband, she offered a funeral oblation to him. With the approval and assistance of her brother or father, her husband's relatives, and her family gurus, she then chose a man to father her child. A characterless, mad, diseased or very aged widow is not entitled to Niyoga. The proper time for niyoga was considered to be within sixteen years of maturity. Sickly men were to be avoided. She must be economically independent of the person whom she appoints for Niyoga and provide for the necessary expenses for food, unguents, etc. for herself (i.e. from the estate of her husband).^[12]

Limitations

The practice of niyoga was outlined by Manu but later prohibited by him due to the progressive deterioration of the four world ages (yugas). According to traditional law, it must not be practiced by mortals in the present Kali Yuga. Brahma Purana (cited in the Vira-Mitrodaya and Aditya Purana) says "The niyoga, and the taking as sons other than the Aurasha and the Dattaka, are prohibited in the Kali age by the wise."^[13] Apastamba declared niyoga (or levirate) unfit for practice in a degenerate later age. Similarly, Manu repudiated widow remarriage as unsupported by Vedic hymeneal mantras, a view also echoed in a text attributed to Baudhayana cited in the Smriti-candrika.^[14] The Manusmriti outlines the conditions governing niyoga (IX.59–63) while simultaneously condemning it as an "animal practice" (paśu-dharma) (IX.64–69). According to Brihaspati, this juxtaposition of opposed views should not be seen as an inconsistency or interpolation, but rather as an indication of the practice's applicability and inapplicability across different time-cycles (yugas).^[15]

Historical examples

The Haihaya (Kalachuri) ruler Raja Raj Singh (c. 1689–1712) begot a son through niyoga on the advice of his Brahmin councilors.^[16]

In popular culture

Niyoga is the central issue of Anahat, a Marathi feature film directed by Amol Palekar. It was showcased at the International Film Festival of India 2003.

The film Eklavya: The Royal Guard features the practice as its central plot. The title character, played by Amitabh Bachchan, is torn between his duty and his emotions for children begotten through niyoga.

It is also portrayed in the 1989 film Oonch Neech Beech, where a sanyasi (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda) is commanded by his teacher to perform niyoga.

References

[1]
Thomas P. (1924). Kama Kalpa Or The Hindu R itual Of Love. p. 21.
[2]
Walker, Benjamin (2019). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis. p. 592. ISBN 978-0-429-62465-0. The levirate system of the ancient Jews was almost identical with the Hindu custom of niyoga, 'injunction', legalized by Manu
[3]
Mishra, V. B. (1977). "The Practice of Niyoga in Ancient Literature of India: A Sociological Study". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 58/59: 773–776. ISSN 0378-1143. JSTOR 41691747.
[4]
Brick, D. (2023). "Widow Remarriage and Niyoga". Widows Under Hindu Law. Oxford University Press. pp. 15–101. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197664544.003.0002.
[5]
Kane, Pandurang Kane (1941). History Of Dharmasastra Vol. 2, Part. 1. p. 29. Niyoga forbidden in the Kali age by Brhaspati and other smrti writers.
[6]
Sarkar, S. C. (1928). Some Aspects Of The Earliest Social History Of India. p. 78. It has been held that 'niyoga' has nothing to do with polyandry.
[7]
Starcke, Carl Nicolai (1889). The primitive family in its origin and development. University of Michigan. New York, D. Appleton and company. p. 144. Sir Henry Maine thinks that the Niyoga is of later date than the Levirate, but J. D. Mayne justified in regarding the Levirate as merely an enlarged form of the Niyoga, which came into effect after a man's death.
[8]
Bhyrappa, S. L. (1979). Parva. p. 822. The Niyoga system, which enabled a woman to choose and invite a male with the desirable seed, and bear children.
[9]
Bühler, George (1886). "Chapter IX". The Laws of Manu. Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 25.
[10]
"The Laws of Manu IX". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
[11]
"नियोग और हिन्दू धर्म ग्रन्थ niyog in hinduism - Vedic Press". Archived from the original on 2017-07-23.
[12]
" Pg.150 : A wife or a widow must not, however, be forced to have recourse to Niyoga for inheritance or similar purposes. Baudhāyana and Vasistha say that a widow desiring Niyoga should avoid meat, honey etc. and sleep on the ground for a short period not exceeding one year. After six months of the death of her husband, she offers a funeral oblation to her husband and with the approval and aid of her brother or father, and relatives of her husband, and also in consultation with the Gurus of her family, she chooses the man to have an issue by her. A characterless, mad, diseased or very aged widow is not entitled to Niyoga. She must be economically independent of the person whom she appoints for Niyoga and provide for the necessary expenses for food, unguents, etc. herself i.e. from the estate of her husband."Jatindra Bimal Chaudhuri (1945). Women In Vedic Ritual. p. 150.
[13]
" Pg.491 : The Niyoga has been declared by Manu, and again prohibited by the same; on account of the successive deterioration of the four ages(Yuga) of the world, it must not be practised by mortals in the present (Kaliyuga) age according to law. " Pg.497 : Brahma Purana, cited in the Vira-Mitrodaya and Aditya Purana says "The niyoga, and the taking as sons other than the Aurasha and the Dattaka, are prohibited in the Kali age by the wise. " J.C. Ghose (1917). Principles of Hindu Law. Kerala State Library. p. 491,497. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
[14]
" Pg.2 : Niyoga or Levirate which Apastamba declares as unfit for practice in a degenerate later age or Manu's repudiation of widow-remarriage as unsupported by Vedic hymeneal Mantras or the text purporting to be Baudhayana's cited in the Smrti-candrika . "Batuknath Bhattacharya (1943). The Kalivarjyas Batuknath Bhattacharya 1943 (UOC). p. 2.
[15]
" Pg.ix-x : When in almost the same breath the smrti indicates an institution like niyoga and the conditions which should govern its application, and also condemns it as an "animal practice" (paśu-dharma), Manusmriti, IX, 59-63 and IX, 64-69, the juxta-position of apparently opposed views should be treated not as an instance of inconsistency, or carelessness in composition, or of interpolation, but, as explained by Brhaspati, as an indication of applicability and inapplicability to different time-cycles or yugas. "Aiyangar, K.V. Rangaswami (1949). Aspects Of The Social And Political System Of Manusmrte. p. ix-x.
[16]
P.L. Mishra (1969). "Mohansingh (The Last Kalachuri King)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 31: 207. JSTOR 44138363.