The Twelve Types of Sons in Dharma
Pandu, speaks to Kunti about the importance of offspring and the moral and religious principles surrounding procreation.
Pandu, due to a curse, is unable to father children. In ancient Indian society, having offspring was considered essential for continuing one's lineage, performing rituals, and ensuring one's spiritual progress. Childlessness was viewed as a hindrance to attaining spiritual progress. Without repaying the debt to the ancestors (pitru runa) through procreation, attaining higher worlds such as swarga was not possible.
He cites that other virtues like austerities, charity, or self-control cannot substitute for having children.
Pandu acknowledges that his inability to father children is a result of a curse. While hunting, he mistakenly killed a deer that was copulating, and the deer, revealed to be a sage in disguise, cursed him to die if he engaged in sexual activity.
Pandu tries to convince Kunti that she should give birth to a son after conceiving through another noble person.
In this context, he enumerates the 12 types of sons as given in the dharma shastra.
Sons who inherit father’s wealth:
- The biological son of the father from his wife.
- Son produced by another man in one’s wife out of compassion.
- Son produced by another man in one’s wife for a fee (similar to purchase of sperm).
- Son born from a woman after her second marriage.
- Son born out of a premarital relationship with wife.
- Son born from a wife of loose character.
Sons who do not inherit father’s wealth:
- Son given away in adoption.
- Son purchased.
- Someone who comes and declares that ‘I am your son’.
- Son born from a woman who was already pregnant at the time of marriage (from another man).
- Son of wife from her premarital relationship with another man or son of brother.
- Son born in a low caste woman.
These classifications highlight the societal and religious flexibility within dharma to facilitate continuation of lineage.
‘When none of these are available, the wife should conceive from her brother-in-law or someone from her husband’s clan or a noble person. That much is the importance of having a son. Therefore, I ask you to conceive from a noble person and give birth to a son’, Pandu told Kunti.
English
Mahabharatam
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