CASTE RESTRICTIONS IN MARRIAGE 271
is deprived of heaven on his death, so long as his de-
scendants be on earth. Wherefore the Bramin Pad-
manaba also said that it was a very great sin to leave
offspring by such a wife. In their Poranes (Puranas),
that is, ancient histories, it is also found that a certain
Bramin of great fame among them, hight Sandragou-
peti Naraia (Chandragupta Narayana), being old, was
sore afflicted when he saw that his son Barthrouherri
(Bhartrihari), born to him by a wife of the Soudra
caste, had three hundred wives, since he concluded
therefrom that he must long miss heaven for this cause.
Although the Bramines take such nice heed to whom
they marry their children, like as we have understood,
nevertheless one might very easily marvel whether they
also pay any regard lest they marry them to those who
be too near akin to them, either by blood or by affinity.
In sooth, they do mind them thereof and have horror
of incest. The Bramin Padmanaba, once speaking with
me of this matter, said that this was one of the five
great sins which may not lightly be forgiven, and that
the Vedam had ordained that they who might come to
err therein should have their privities cut off and given
them in their hands, and that such should then be let
die of themselves without permitting them to be healed;
but on the women no punishment was laid for this,
since they themselves could not fall into this sin save
through seducement. In this connection, to show how
horrible this sin was deemed among them, the Bramin
related that a certain Bramin near Paliacatta, the which
still lived, had unwittingly slept with his mother by
