Marriage within the same gotra is not a great idea. If I tell you today to marry your brother, what would you do? I am sure you would probably slap me on the face. From ancient times, marriage within the same gotra is prohibited. What is Gotra? And what are the risks in Same Gotra Marriages?
What is Gotra?
Gotra refers to the same clan or family lineage. The classification came into existence during the Vedic period. It was primarily established to avoid inter-blood marriages. But what is the reason behind not marrying your close cousin beside feeling uncomfortable? Same Gotra Marriage is never a good idea. Let’s find out why.
Risk of Same Gotra Marriage Lies In Your Genes
The reason for not marrying a person from your gotra lies in GENETICS. Genetics is the science of heredity and genes. We all have studied biology now, haven’t us? Every individual has 23 pair of chromosomes that comes from father and mother. The last set of chromosome determines the gender of the child called X and Y. The mother has an X chromosome, and the father has both X and Y.
If the pair comes out to be XX, it is a girl child. If the chromosome pair is XY, it is a boy child. The Y chromosome has a role to play in genetics. It helps in determining the ancestry of the father. For example: If a person came from Atri Gotra, it means that the Y chromosome has come all the way down from Rishi Atri. Fabulous isn’t it!? Marriage in same gotra is going to create a mismatch.
The Risk of the Same Gotra Marriages
Marriage in the same gotra can give rise to an abnormal offspring due to genetic mismatch and DNA combination. It results in various diseases such as cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria (PKU), galactosemia, retinoblastoma and albinism.
The Scientific Reason for prohibiting Same Gotra Marriage
There is a scientific reason for prohibiting marriages in the same gotra. Defect in any of the chromosome can be mended by its identical pair. But the Y chromosome does not have this aid. Only 5% of the gene in the Y chromosome comes from the mother. Now marrying your own blood relative means that the 5% of the gene is also infected. This will result in various heredity problems and diseases.
Another Theory
Previously, people banned same gotra marriage because of the brother-sister relationship. They were prohibited to ‘not limit their beliefs and thoughts within the clan.’ For example: If a girl is from the Gautam Gotra and married to the same, there would be no increase in the number of followers. However, if the girl is from an Atri gotra, the followers and beliefs of Gautam clan would become widespread amongst Atri as well.
Say No To Same Gotra Marriages
There are logical reasons behind not allowing marriage within the same gotra. The high risk of abnormal DNA combinations, heredity diseases and extinction of the Y chromosome are the disasters waiting for you, if you marry in the same gotra.
To prosper your living, pick a lover from a different clan and group!
