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Anuloma marriage means higher Varna men marrying lower Varna women. Pratiloma marriage means lower Varna men marrying higher Varna women. What is the reason behind encouraging Anuloma and discouraging pratiloma marriage?

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    Good Qn. Related: Examples of Anuloma and Pratiloma marriages?. This is more to do with the intellectual level. A man should not marry a woman of higher intellect. See this related post. Actually Pratiloma marriage is punishable in some of the scriptures. Hence a good family girl running away with driver or a wealthy girl from well to do family falling in love with a mechanic, would be acceptable in movies only. :-)
    – iammilind
    Sep 4, 2017 at 12:28
  • Varnasankaras are product of intercaster marriages. In the first chapter of the Gita, Arjun described that such varnashankars destroy the 'kukadharma' and take the members of the whole'kula' to hell. Manu says: one reason of varnasankara is a marrige between a lower caste boy and a higher caste girl.
    – user17294
    Jan 17, 2019 at 11:31
  • According to the Naradasamhita, also such pratiloma marriage creates varnasankaras. Note that Aryuna mentions kuladharma as saswata ie eternal ie something which must be preserved. Manu accepts anuloma marriage (स्त्रीरत्नं दुष्कुलादपि).Tantrasaara says that if a shudra male marries a brahmin girl, he becomes a chandala.
    – user17294
    Jan 17, 2019 at 11:31

1 Answer 1

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We have Varna system. As per this, Apastamba Dharmasutra 1.1.1.4-5 says:

[There are] four castes Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishya, and Shudra. Among these, each preceding (caste) is superior by birth to the one following.

So, it says:

  1. For a Shudra, preceding varna Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaishya are superior.

  2. For a Vaishya, Preceding varna Kshatriya and Brahmana are superior.

  3. For a Kshatriya, Preceding varna Brahmana is superior.

And among husband and wife, husband has the superior authority. But if Pratiloma marriage and takes place, we don't know who is superior(The girl is because she belongs to higher Varna or the boy is because he is the husband). So Anuloma marriage is recommended and Pratiloma marriage is discouraged.

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    Nice. Your logic about Pratiloma marriage creating the confusion due to gender superiority & division (varna) superiority seems correct to me. However, it will be good if you have some sources to back up. Though I feel that it's less likely to find such.
    – iammilind
    Sep 4, 2017 at 12:31
  • @iammilind Today only this stroke my mind. So I answered my own question. But I have never read in any scriptures that because of this or that reason, Pratiloma marriage is not allowed.
    – user9554
    Sep 4, 2017 at 12:32
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    @Ajay, it's like saying 'stealing is discouraged, but doesn't mean it is not allowed.. it just means that you'll be put in jail if you steal'
    – mar
    Sep 5, 2017 at 3:35
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    @Ajay, no you don't understand. There is nothing called 'prohibited'. Stealing is also not prohibited. All shastras say is that, if you steal, you will be punished. It is up to you to decide whether you want punishment or not. Same way, if you do pratiloma marriage, progeny is outcasted. It is up to you to decide.
    – mar
    Sep 5, 2017 at 3:44
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    @Ajay, there is naraka for all types of papa, and svarga for all types of punya. If you do charity, good will come to you. if you steal, bad things will happen. It is up to you to decide. That is what allowed and prohibited means. So, stealing, pratiloma, varna-sankara etc. are all 'prohibited' because bad things will happen to the doer.
    – mar
    Sep 5, 2017 at 3:52

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