Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 8
Chapter 154: विवाहः
Vivāha — Marriage
नैकगोत्रान्तु वरयेन्नैकार्षेयाञ्च भार्गव पितृतः सप्तमादूर्ध्वं मातृतः पञ्चमात्तथा
naikagotrāntu varayennaikārṣeyāñca bhārgava pitṛtaḥ saptamādūrdhvaṃ mātṛtaḥ pañcamāttathā
ໂອ ພາຣະຄະວະ, ບໍ່ຄວນເລືອກເຈົ້າສາວຈາກ gotra ດຽວກັນ ຫຼືຈາກ pravara (ສາຍລຳດັບິສີ) ດຽວກັນ. ການແຕ່ງງານອະນຸຍາດເມື່ອເກີນຊົນລຸ້ນທີ 7 ທາງພໍ່ ແລະເກີນຊົນລຸ້ນທີ 5 ທາງແມ່.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha; addressing Bhārgava within the teaching)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Marriage eligibility screening by gotra and pravara exclusion, using paternal and maternal generation-distance rules to avoid prohibited degrees and maintain dharmic kinship boundaries.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vivaha Nishedha: Gotra/Pravara avoidance and Sapinda limits (7 paternal, 5 maternal)","lookup_keywords":["gotra","pravara","sapinda","vivaha-niyama","pitr-matr-gana"],"quick_summary":"Prohibits marriage within the same gotra or same rishi-lineage and permits marriage only beyond specified generational limits on father’s and mother’s sides."}
Concept: Kinship ethics in dharma: regulating marriage to preserve social order, ritual lineage integrity (pravara), and avoidance of prohibited consanguinity (sapinda).
Application: Apply as a checklist in arranging marriages: verify gotra/pravara and compute generational distance on both parental lines.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Vivaha & Gotra/Pravara-Niyama)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A marriage-arrangement scene with two family priests comparing genealogical palm-leaf records; gotra and pravara lines are diagrammed, showing the 7th paternal and 5th maternal thresholds.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two purohitas with palm-leaf manuscripts, genealogical tree motifs behind them, families seated respectfully, calm didactic mood","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, richly adorned family setting, gold-highlighted manuscripts and ritual items, priests indicating lineage charts, auspicious marriage pavilion in background","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear instructional genealogical diagram on a board/palm leaf, priests pointing to numbered generations (7 and 5), minimal decorative distraction","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior with scribes and priests, fine calligraphy-like lineage scrolls, families in attendance, emphasis on documentation"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: naikagotrāntu → na + eka-gotrān + tu; varayennaikārṣeyāñca → varayet + na + eka-ārṣeyān + ca; saptamādūrdhvaṃ → saptamāt + ūrdhvam; pañcamāt+tathā → pañcamāt + tathā
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Vivaha and samskara rules (same khanda context); Agni Purana: Dharmashastra sections on kula, sapinda, and śrāddha eligibility (related norms)
FAQs
It gives dharma-technical eligibility rules for marriage: avoid same gotra and same pravara (ṛṣi-line), and allow marriage only after crossing specified degrees—beyond seven generations on the paternal line and beyond five on the maternal line.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana also compiles practical social-juridical norms (dharma-shastra), here summarizing lineage-based marriage prohibitions (gotra/pravara and generational distance) used in classical Hindu law and custom.
By preventing prohibited unions (considered dharmically improper and ritually impure), the rule protects family rites (śrāddha, lineage continuity) and supports marriage as a sanctioned saṃskāra that sustains social and ritual order (dharma).