Niyoga
Encyclopedia
Niyoga is an ancient Hindu tradition, in which a woman (whose husband is either incapable of fatherhood or has died without having a child) would request and appoint a person for helping her bear a child. According to this Hindu tradition the man who was appointed must be or would most likely be a revered person. There were various clauses associated with this process, as follows:
In Niyoga, the bodies were to be covered with "ghee" (so that lust may not take root in the minds of participants but actual act may take place for conception). Similar traditions are referred to in the Old Testament as levirate marriages see http://www.d.umn.edu/~jbelote/biblekin.html#levirate and the Sparta
ns.
. Raja Dasharatha was not able for child birth. Rama
, Lakshamana, Bharata and Shatrughna
were the four children of Raja Dasharatha born by this process.
. Dhritarashtra
, Pandu
and Vidura
were the three children born by this process when Rishi
Vedavyasa
was the appointed man. Later Pandu
himself was incapable of producing children. The five Pandavas, Yudhishthira, Bhima
, Arjuna
, Nakula
and Sahadeva
were the offspring born out of Niyoga, the respective biological fathers being various Devas
.
feature film directed by Amol Palekar
. It was showcased at the International Film Festival of India 2003. Hindi film, Ek Chadar Maili Si
(1986) with Hema Malini
and Kulbhushan Kharbanda
, an adaptation of Rajinder Singh Bedi
's classic Urdu novella, is centred on this custom, known in Punjab as Chaddar dalna.
The Movie Eklavya: The Royal Guard
has this practice as the central plot. The title character played by Amitabh Bachchan
is torn between his duty and the emotions for his children begotten by the practice of Niyoga.
It is also portrayed in the 1989 film, Oonch Neech Beech, where the character played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda
, a sanyasi, is commanded by his teacher to perform niyoga on a woman.
- The woman would agree for this only for the sake of rightfully having a child and not for pleasure.
- The appointed man would do this for DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
, considering it as his duty to help the woman bear a child and not for pleasure. - 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 DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
and while doing so, the man and the wife will have only DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
in their mind and not 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.
In Niyoga, the bodies were to be covered with "ghee" (so that lust may not take root in the minds of participants but actual act may take place for conception). Similar traditions are referred to in the Old Testament as levirate marriages see http://www.d.umn.edu/~jbelote/biblekin.html#levirate and the Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
ns.
Niyoga in Ramayana
Perhaps, the very first example of Niyoga is found in RamayanaRamayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. Raja Dasharatha was not able for child birth. Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Lakshamana, Bharata and Shatrughna
Shatrughna
Shatrughna was the youngest brother of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana . He is the twin brother of Lakshmana.-Birth and family:...
were the four children of Raja Dasharatha born by this process.
Niyoga in Mahabharata
The most famous examples of Niyoga occurred in the MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra
In the Mahābhārata, Dhritarashtra was King of Hastinapur at the time of the Kurukshetra War, the epic's climactic event. He was born the son of Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika, and was fathered by Vyasa. He was blind from birth, and became father to a hundred children by his wife Gandhari...
, Pandu
Pandu
In the Mahābhārata epic, King Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the father of the Pandavas and ruled Hastinapur.-Birth:...
and Vidura
Vidura
Vidura was an important figure in the Mahabharata, a major Hindu epic. He was half-brother to the kings Dhritarashtra and Pandu of Hastinapura, born the son of the sage Vyasa and a lady-in-waiting to the queens Ambika and Ambalika of the city...
were the three children born by this process when Rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
Vedavyasa
Vyasa
Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...
was the appointed man. Later Pandu
Pandu
In the Mahābhārata epic, King Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the father of the Pandavas and ruled Hastinapur.-Birth:...
himself was incapable of producing children. The five Pandavas, Yudhishthira, Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
, Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
, Nakula
Nakula
Nakula, also spelt "Nakul" was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. Nakula and Sahadeva were fraternal twins born to Madri, who had invoked the Ashvins using a mantra for a son, the mantra shared by Kunti...
and Sahadeva
Sahadeva
Sahadeva was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. He was one of the twin sons of Madri, who invoked Ashvins using a mantra shared by Kunti for a son. His twin brother was named Nakula...
were the offspring born out of Niyoga, the respective biological fathers being various Devas
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
.
Niyoga in Manusmṛti
In the Manusmṛti, niyoga is prescribed in IX.59-63, but the practice is also condemned in IX.64-68. This text (IX.167) describes the child born by niyoga as a kshetraja child of the husband-wife.Influences on art and culture
Niyoga is the central issue of Anahat, a MarathiMarathi cinema
Marathi cinema refers to films produced in the Marathi language in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the oldest and pioneer film industry in India...
feature film directed by Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar is an Indian actor of the 1970s and a director of Hindi and Marathi cinema.-Theater career:Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey, and later started his own group, Aniket, in 1972 [citation needed]...
. It was showcased at the International Film Festival of India 2003. Hindi film, Ek Chadar Maili Si
Ek Chadar Maili Si
Ek Chadar Maili Si is a 1986 film, directed by Sukhwant Dada, and is an adaptation of Rajinder Singh Bedi's classic Urdu novella, by the name. The novel won the 1965 Sahitya Akademi Award, and is considered author's finest work....
(1986) with Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
and Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
, an adaptation of Rajinder Singh Bedi
Rajinder Singh Bedi
Rajinder Singh Bedi was an eminent progressive Urdu writer, playwright and a Hindi film director, screenwriter and noted dialogue writer....
's classic Urdu novella, is centred on this custom, known in Punjab as Chaddar dalna.
The Movie Eklavya: The Royal Guard
Eklavya: The Royal Guard
Eklavya: The Royal Guard is a Bollywood film directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra which was released in India, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom on 16 February 2007....
has this practice as the central plot. The title character played by Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
is torn between his duty and the emotions for his children begotten by the practice of Niyoga.
It is also portrayed in the 1989 film, Oonch Neech Beech, where the character played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
, a sanyasi, is commanded by his teacher to perform niyoga on a woman.