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**Thigmaswams** · 09-22-2007, 06:57 AM

Generally people in India were not governed by the Smiritis, but by the prevailing customs in the jnati (the endogamous group). The customs were dictated by them. For example marriages were effectively recognized the jnati , and not the state. A marriage not recognized by the jnati, was effectively improper. The recent incident about the same Gotra marriage in Haryana bears witness to this.

An English traveler in the nineteenth century was told by an Indian villager that the village decided on the code of conduct to be followed and only when the collective group could not decide on something they asked the Brahmins about the Sasthras.

The caste groups made their own rules which they called Sampradhaya. In the case of Brahmins it was mostly according to the Dharma Sasthra. But they did make changes. When Bengali society especially Brahmins was plagued by the Sati tradition it was never followed by any of the south Indian Brahmin groups.

I used to ask the priests about the Dharma Sasthra which they followed. Then when I asked them why they are not following it to the letter, invariably the reply was this is our Sampradhayam.

Sampradhayams do not follow any particular Dharma Sasthra and change depending on the sub caste and region.

09-22-2007, 06:57 AM	#4
Thigmaswams Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 481 Senior Member	Generally people in India were not governed by the Smiritis, but by the prevailing customs in the jnati (the endogamous group). The customs were dictated by them. For example marriages were effectively recognized the jnati , and not the state. A marriage not recognized by the jnati, was effectively improper. The recent incident about the same Gotra marriage in Haryana bears witness to this. An English traveler in the nineteenth century was told by an Indian villager that the village decided on the code of conduct to be followed and only when the collective group could not decide on something they asked the Brahmins about the Sasthras. The caste groups made their own rules which they called Sampradhaya. In the case of Brahmins it was mostly according to the Dharma Sasthra. But they did make changes. When Bengali society especially Brahmins was plagued by the Sati tradition it was never followed by any of the south Indian Brahmin groups. I used to ask the priests about the Dharma Sasthra which they followed. Then when I asked them why they are not following it to the letter, invariably the reply was this is our Sampradhayam. Sampradhayams do not follow any particular Dharma Sasthra and change depending on the sub caste and region.
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