Niyoga

Niyoga (Sanskrit: नियोग) was a Hindu practice, primarily followed during the ancient period. It permitted either the husband or the wife who had no child by their spouse to procreate a child with another man or a woman.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Niyog (disambiguation).

Literature

Mahabharata

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

The practise is also mentioned in the story of Sage Dirghatamas.

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]

Historical examples

The Haihaya (Kalachuri) ruler Raja Raj Singh (c. 1689-1712) begot a son through niyoga on the advice of his Brahmin councilors.[4]

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 (2007) 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. Benjamin Walker (2019). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis. p. 592. ISBN 9780429624650. The levirate system of the ancient Jews was almost identical with the Hindu custom of niyoga, 'injunction', legalized by Manu
  2. Vettam Mani (2015) [1964]. Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 543. ISBN 9788120805972.
  3. Bühler, George (1886). "Chapter IX". The Laws of Manu. Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 25.
  4. P.L. Mishra (1969). "Mohansingh (The Last Kalachuri King)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 31: 207–213. JSTOR 44138363.
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