Niyoga

Niyoga (Sanskrit: नियोग) was an ancient tradition of Svayambhuva Manu sect, which is mainly followed by Svayambhuva Manu's believers. In which a woman (whose husband is either incapable of fatherhood or has died without having a child) would request and appoint a man for helping her bear a child. According to this tradition, the man who was appointed must be or would most likely be a revered person.

Not to be confused with Niyog (disambiguation).

Clauses of Niyoga

There were various clauses associated with this process:

  1. The woman would agree to this only for the sake of rightfully having a child but not sexual pleasure.[1]
  2. The child thus born would be considered the child of the husband-wife and not that of the appointed man.
  3. The appointed man would not seek any paternal relationship or attachment to this child in the future.
  4. To avoid misuse, a man was allowed a maximum of three times in his lifetime to be appointed in such a way.
  5. The act will be seen as that of Dharma and while doing so, the man and the wife will have only Dharma 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.[2]
  6. There will be no foreplay or contact of any kind with the upper body. The bodies of the female and male both are smeared with Ghee. There is a curtain between the male and the female so that none can see each other's face so that passion does not sneek into their minds. Only the legs of the female are kept uncovered. The male penetrates and ejaculates inside the woman and the process is completed.

In the Mahabharata

The epic Mahabharata describes one instance of niyoga. Queen Satyavati compels her son, sage Vyasa to perform niyoga with both the widows of her son Vichitravirya. The widows, Ambika and Ambalika and one of their maids, bear Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, respectively.

Niyoga in Manusmṛti

In the Manusmṛti, niyoga is described in IX.59-63, but the practice is also allowed in IX.64-68. This text (IX.167) describes the child born by niyoga as a kshetraja child of the husband-wife.[3]

Influences on art and culture

Niyoga is the central issue of Anahat, a Marathi feature film directed by Amol Palekar. It was showcased at the International Film Festival of India 2003.

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.

References
  1. "The Laws of Manu IX". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  2. http://www.vedicpress.com/%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97/
  3. Bühler, George (1886). "Chapter IX". The Laws of Manu. Sacred Books of the East. 25.
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