Page:History of India Vol 9.djvu/323

CASTE RESTRICTIONS IN MARRIAGE 271 is deprived of heaven on his death, so long as his de- scendants be on earth. Wherefore the Bramin Pad- manaba also said that it was a very great sin to leave offspring by such a wife. In their Poranes (Puranas), that is, ancient histories, it is also found that a certain Bramin of great fame among them, hight Sandragou- peti Naraia (Chandragupta Narayana), being old, was sore afflicted when he saw that his son Barthrouherri (Bhartrihari), born to him by a wife of the Soudra caste, had three hundred wives, since he concluded therefrom that he must long miss heaven for this cause. Although the Bramines take such nice heed to whom they marry their children, like as we have understood, nevertheless one might very easily marvel whether they also pay any regard lest they marry them to those who be too near akin to them, either by blood or by affinity. In sooth, they do mind them thereof and have horror of incest. The Bramin Padmanaba, once speaking with me of this matter, said that this was one of the five great sins which may not lightly be forgiven, and that the Vedam had ordained that they who might come to err therein should have their privities cut off and given them in their hands, and that such should then be let die of themselves without permitting them to be healed; but on the women no punishment was laid for this, since they themselves could not fall into this sin save through seducement. In this connection, to show how horrible this sin was deemed among them, the Bramin related that a certain Bramin near Paliacatta, the which still lived, had unwittingly slept with his mother by