Family Structure in Sanatana Dharma (सनातनीय कुटुम्बव्यवस्था) - Revision history

Fordharma at 15:02, 8 October 2022

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Fordharma: /* Members and Relationships of the Family */

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Members and Relationships of the Family

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Members of the Family: editing

Fordharma: /* Distinctive Features of the Indian Family */

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Distinctive Features of the Indian Family

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Different Roles of the Family

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Fordharma: /* संयुक्तकुटुंबम् ॥ Joint Family */

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संयुक्तकुटुंबम् ॥ Joint Family

Fordharma: /* संयुक्त कुटुंबम् ॥ Joint Family */ editing

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← Older revision		Revision as of 15:02, 8 October 2022
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	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />
		+	[[Category:Dharmas]]

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 Thus we see that children are important members, the very purpose of a family. The purohit further blesses both the bride and groom to have ten sons (Rig. Ved. 10.85.45). Manusmriti (9.29) also stresses that begetting children is the first of the purposes of marriage.
 == References ==
 <references />

@@ Line 114: / Line 114: @@
 '''[[Gotra (गोत्रम्)]]''' - In the Indian society, marriage is in general restricted in three ways. A man may not marry a girl
-# outside his class (jaati)
+# outside his class
 # those who fall within certain degrees of prohibited relationships (the sapindas)
 # those inside his own clan (gotra)
 To marry a woman belonging to the same gotra is regarded as incest and requires a severe penance such as Chandrayana. Gotra means a family or a clan according to families. A person born in any varna, Brahmanas and others, are obliged by dharmik vidhis to pronounce the name of his important ancestors, the rshis, who were the founders of his family on certain occasions. This is known as Pravara. It shows that he is the descendent of a particular rshi.<ref>Chentsal Rao, P. (1900) ''Gotra Pravara Nibandha Kadambam, The Principles of Pravara and Gotra.'' Mysore: Government Branch Press (Introduction)</ref>
-== Members of the Family ==
+== Members and Relationships of the Family ==
 It can be stated that getting married and having a family have been indispensable aspect in the Indian family system. There are three important purposes as per Dharmashastras, viz., begetting sons, performing dharmik activities and fulfillment of conjugal desires. Rig veda states that by having progeny, a man attains Amritatva (eternity). <blockquote>यस्त्वा॑ हृ॒दा की॒रिणा॒ मन्य॑मा॒नोऽम॑र्त्यं॒ मर्त्यो॒ जोह॑वीमि । जात॑वेदो॒ यशो॑ अ॒स्मासु॑ धेहि प्र॒जाभि॑रग्ने अमृत॒त्वम॑श्याम् ॥१०॥ (Rig. Ved. 5.4.10)</blockquote>In another sukta (Rig. Ved. 10.85.36) the bridegroom at the time of marriage (panigrahana) tells the bride that he is taking her as a wife to obtain good progeny.<ref name=":1" />
 Thus we see that children are important members, the very purpose of a family. The purohit further blesses both the bride and groom to have ten sons (Rig. Ved. 10.85.45). Manusmriti (9.29) also stresses that begetting children is the first of the purposes of marriage.
 == References ==
 <references />

@@ Line 117: / Line 117: @@
 # those who fall within certain degrees of prohibited relationships (the sapindas)
 # those inside his own clan (gotra)
-To marry a woman belonging to the same gotra is regarded as incest and requires a severe penance such as Chandrayana. Gotra means a family or a clan according to families.<ref>Chentsal Rao, P. (1900) ''Gotra Pravara Nibandha Kadambam, The Principles of Pravara and Gotra.'' Mysore: Government Branch Press (Introduction)</ref> A person born in any varna, Brahmanas and others, are obliged by dharmik vidhis to pronounce the name of his important ancestors, the rshis, who were the founders of his family on certain occasions. This is known as Pravara. It shows that he is the descendent of a particular rshi.
+To marry a woman belonging to the same gotra is regarded as incest and requires a severe penance such as Chandrayana. Gotra means a family or a clan according to families. A person born in any varna, Brahmanas and others, are obliged by dharmik vidhis to pronounce the name of his important ancestors, the rshis, who were the founders of his family on certain occasions. This is known as Pravara. It shows that he is the descendent of a particular rshi.<ref>Chentsal Rao, P. (1900) ''Gotra Pravara Nibandha Kadambam, The Principles of Pravara and Gotra.'' Mysore: Government Branch Press (Introduction)</ref>
 == References ==
 <references />

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The family is the basic unit of society, the backbone of our social structure.  It represents both an association as well as an institution. Every person is born in the family and it is from this association he learns language, behavioral pattern and social norms. He is also dependent on this association for education and food. A family is a universal group, it exists in tribal, rural, and urban communities among the followers of all religions across cultures.<ref name=":0">Jain, B. S. () ''[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.112949/page/n4/mode/1up Indian Society]'' Jaipur: College Book Center (Page 153)</ref> Protection and furthering the development of a society are two important things that are dependent on the family. Undivided families were the backbone of Bharatiya lifestyle until the recent centuries. Parivar or family was gave paramount importance to Gotras. Gotra means a family or a group of families who are descendants of important ancestors who were the founders of the family. This important factor is highly respected and followed even to the present day. It was rarely seen in other civilizations of ancient times.
+The family is the basic unit of society, the backbone of our social structure.  It represents both an association as well as an institution. Every person is born in the family and it is from this association he learns language, behavioral pattern and social norms. He is also dependent on this association for education and food. A family is a universal group, it exists in tribal, rural, and urban communities among the followers of all religions across cultures.<ref name=":0">Jain, B. S. () ''[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.112949/page/n4/mode/1up Indian Society]'' Jaipur: College Book Center (Page 153)</ref> Protection and furthering the development of a society are two important things that are dependent on the family. Undivided families were the backbone of Bharatiya lifestyle until the recent centuries. Parivar or family was given paramount importance to Gotras. [[Gotra (गोत्रम्)]] means a family or a group of families who are descendants of important ancestors who were the founders of the family. This important factor is highly respected and followed even to the present day. It was rarely seen in other civilizations of ancient times.
-We shall discuss about family with Bharatiya perspectives, their associations, functionality, the continuity of the family, importance of vivaha samskara, and modern outlook in this article.
+We shall discuss about the various aspects of family with Bharatiya perspectives, such as their associations, functionality, the continuity of the family, importance of vivaha samskara, and modern outlook in this article.
 == परिचयः॥ Introduction ==
@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 '''Kama''' - Kama is defined as desire (though not an equivalent term) and is the motivating power of all activities. Kama is the third purushartha, in the Trivarga. It is the chief purushartha in youth. Characteristics of Kama, as defined by Vatsyayana, is the tendency of the five sense organs for the achievement of their corresponding objects. It is the pleasure experienced by the self in the fulfilment of the sexual tendencies. It is the cause of mutual attractions among different living beings. It is the basis of creation, it leads to procreation. Fulfilment of natural attractions and innate desires was done in a moral and dharmik background. Indian seers have stressed on the worldly enjoyments of a person in grhastha ashrama together with the knowledge of controlling sense organs. Thus Kama controlled and guided by dharma was said to bring about social upliftment whereas either repression of desires or kama under the influence of adharma led to anti-social tendency.  Hence moderation and dharmik basis of such kama was essential in youth.<ref name=":0" />
-'''[[Varna System (वर्ण व्यवस्था)|Varna vyavastha]]''' - The varna system presents a structure of values and functions which provide both personal and social justice. It is based upon the moral principle of Karma. It is believed that everyone is born with peculiar leanings, temperament and abilities due to his past karmas.   In personal life varna was based upon the twin ideals of Svabhava and Swadharma. These two are the psychological and social aspects of the same phenomena. The social duties of a person are relative to his psychological makeup. Each one should follow his own psychological make up, since by that alone he can make a holistic contribution to the society. Thus within the person Swabhava is the guiding principle. One who acts based on his Swabhava acts spontaneously. Spontaneity is the result of totality and results in harmony. Svadharma means one’s duties in society. These duties should not be imposed from outside pressures. In order to be natural, spontaneous and divine duties must be based on Swabhava. A persons' value system so regulated becomes a better contributor to the society and hence the marriage system was so structured such that the husband and wife belong to the same varna. In case of love between man and woman which knows no rules and transcends all bounds, it was natural that males and females belonging to different varnas met and even married against social conventions. Such marriages were known by the names of anuloma and pratiloma marriages. The varna-vyavastha in the society, was thus four fold and  was based on the scientific idea of division of labor.<ref name=":0" /> '''[[Ashrama Dharma (आश्रमधर्मः)|Ashrama vyavastha]]''' - While the varna vyavastha focuses on social justice, ashrama vyavastha concentrates on justice within the individual. The human life has been divided into different stages. Brahmacharya ashrama is the educative and disciplinary stage of life. In Grhastha ashrama, the youthful stage is diverted towards a life of duty. Hence the individual cultivates dharma, artha and kama. In Vanaprastha ashrama, he learns to withdraw from the society and learns to ignore his worldly attachments. He dissociates from artha and kama. Therefore, dharma and moksha becomes his main concern. In Sannyasa, moksha occupies the supreme place. In other words, the dharma which an individual cultivates in former ashramas becomes identified with moksha.
+'''[[Varna System (वर्ण व्यवस्था)|Varna vyavastha]]''' - The varna system presents a structure of values and functions which provide both personal and social justice. It is based upon the moral principle of Karma. It is believed that everyone is born with peculiar leanings, temperament and abilities due to his past karmas.   In personal life varna was based upon the twin ideals of Svabhava and Swadharma. These two are the psychological and social aspects of the same phenomena. The social duties of a person are relative to his psychological makeup. Each one should follow his own psychological make up, since by that alone he can make a holistic contribution to the society. Thus within the person Swabhava is the guiding principle. One who acts based on his Swabhava acts spontaneously. Spontaneity is the result of totality and results in harmony. Svadharma means one’s duties in society. These duties should not be imposed from outside pressures. In order to be natural, spontaneous and divine duties must be based on Swabhava. A persons' value system so regulated becomes a better contributor to the society and hence the marriage system was so structured such that the husband and wife belong to the same varna. In case of love between man and woman which knows no rules and transcends all bounds, it was natural that males and females belonging to different varnas met and even married against social conventions. Such marriages were known by the names of anuloma and pratiloma marriages. The varna-vyavastha in the society, was thus four fold and  was based on the scientific idea of division of labor.<ref name=":0" />
 '''[[Samskaras (संस्काराः)|Samskaras]]''' - Samskaras are those activities which help to achieve purity and as a result complete development of the individual's personality is possible. In fact, the development of the individual is necessary in accordance with society. In order to fulfil this need, samskaras have been laid down as a means in the Hindu society and is connected with physical and non-physical aspects of man. This helps the socialization of the individual and he develops respect for labor, virtue and duty. Sacraments are generally prevalent in almost all the societies of the world. For example, Sunnat and baptism are prevalent among the Muslims and the Christian respectively. But Samskaras are those kinds of sacraments that have a special significance in Hindu society. They have always been related to the age, occasion and Ashrama etc of the individual. They help refine and develop the personality of an individual and pave way for his social and spiritual progress. During the whole life of an individual, he is vested with some new responsibilities and duties. Samskaras inculcate the feeling in him to do his duty and discharge the responsibilities assigned to him for the welfare of others around him. Sanskaras are not only for his own good, but they also represent man's responsibility to society.<ref name=":0" />
@@ Line 111: / Line 113: @@
 '''Linguistic Structure''' - India has numerous languages and dialects. There are many important languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Rajasthani, Manipuri and more recently Urdu. Hindi has been given the status of India’s official language along with English. The underlying linguistic thread that holds people of all these languages is Samskrit. The cultural, moral, ethical and dharmik values of all these people have a common origin viz., the Vaidika vangmaya, Itihasas and Puranas etc. The language in which all these texts have been composed is Samskrit, the root language of all cultures in India.
-'''Gotras''' - In the Indian society, marriage is in general restricted in three ways. A man may not marry
+'''[[Gotra (गोत्रम्)]]''' - In the Indian society, marriage is in general restricted in three ways. A man may not marry a girl
 # outside his class (jaati)
 # those who fall within certain degrees of prohibited relationships (the sapindas)
-# inside his own clan (gotra)
+# those inside his own clan (gotra)
-To marry a woman belonging to the same gotra is regarded as incest and requires a severe penance such as Chandrayana. Gotra means a family or a clan according to families.<ref>Chentsal Rao, P. (1900) ''Gotra Pravara Nibandha Kadambam, The Principles of Pravara and Gotra.'' Mysore: Government Branch Press (Introduction)</ref>
+To marry a woman belonging to the same gotra is regarded as incest and requires a severe penance such as Chandrayana. Gotra means a family or a clan according to families.<ref>Chentsal Rao, P. (1900) ''Gotra Pravara Nibandha Kadambam, The Principles of Pravara and Gotra.'' Mysore: Government Branch Press (Introduction)</ref> A person born in any varna, Brahmanas and others, are obliged by dharmik vidhis to pronounce the name of his important ancestors, the rshis, who were the founders of his family on certain occasions. This is known as Pravara. It shows that he is the descendent of a particular rshi.
 == References ==
 <references />

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 We find the following version in Hitopadesha, it is of the same purport and widely known.<blockquote>अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥</blockquote><blockquote>ayaṃ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghucetasām । udāracaritānāṃ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ॥</blockquote>The vidhi given in the Grhyasutras that only the eldest son should kindle the Grhyagni, after the death of the householder, shows that after the householder passes away, the eldest son alone moves into the position of the householder, if all the brothers continue to live together without partitioning their inheritance. This vidhi is found in Sankhyayana, Kaushika and Gobhila grhyasutras.<ref name=":02" /> <blockquote>पित्र्यमग्निं शमयिष्यञ्ज्येष्ठस्य चाविभक्तिन एकाग्निमाधास्यन् १ (Kaus. Sutr. 69.1)<ref>Kaushika Sutra ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8C%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A6%E0%A5%AF Adhyaya 9])</ref></blockquote>This vidhi refers to the joint family system and undivided families, where the eldest son becomes the head of the household after the father. Until recent centuries, families in India chose to stay united as joint family.<ref name=":02" />
-== Different Roles of the Family ==
+== Different Aspects of the Family ==
 === As a Functional Unit ===

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 Contrary to the sociologists' views of just the husband, wife and children constituting a family, the Indian family system advocated a united undivided family consisting of the parents, siblings and even students. It is no wonder that our seers expressed that the world is one family, "vasudaiva kutumbakam" which aptly depicts the inclusiveness of the sanatana kutumba vyavastha.<ref name=":02" /> <blockquote>अयं बन्धुरयं नेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् । उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥ ७१॥  (Maha. Upan. 6.71)<ref>Mahopanishad ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D Adhyaya 6])</ref></blockquote>Summary: Those who think "he is mine", "He is not" are petty-minded. The large hearted ones regard the world as one family.<ref name=":2">Jois, Rama M. ''Dharma, The Global Ethic'' </ref>
 We find the following version in Hitopadesha, it is of the same purport and widely known.<blockquote>अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥</blockquote><blockquote>ayaṃ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghucetasām । udāracaritānāṃ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ॥</blockquote>The vidhi given in the Grhyasutras that only the eldest son should kindle the Grhyagni, after the death of the householder, shows that after the householder passes away, the eldest son alone moves into the position of the householder, if all the brothers continue to live together without partitioning their inheritance. This vidhi is found in Sankhyayana, Kaushika and Gobhila grhyasutras.<ref name=":02" /> <blockquote>पित्र्यमग्निं शमयिष्यञ्ज्येष्ठस्य चाविभक्तिन एकाग्निमाधास्यन् १ (Kaus. Sutr. 69.1)<ref>Kaushika Sutra ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8C%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A6%E0%A5%AF Adhyaya 9])</ref></blockquote>This vidhi refers to the joint family system and undivided families, where the eldest son becomes the head of the household after the father. Until recent centuries, families in India chose to stay united as joint family.<ref name=":02" />
-A family is, thus, characterized by<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
+== Different Roles of the Family ==
 * institutionalized mating, i.e., some type of marriage
 * a nomenclature for knowing the descent, i.e., a mode to know the descent
@@ Line 90: / Line 105: @@
 '''[[Varna System (वर्ण व्यवस्था)|Varna vyavastha]]''' - The varna system presents a structure of values and functions which provide both personal and social justice. It is based upon the moral principle of Karma. It is believed that everyone is born with peculiar leanings, temperament and abilities due to his past karmas.   In personal life varna was based upon the twin ideals of Svabhava and Swadharma. These two are the psychological and social aspects of the same phenomena. The social duties of a person are relative to his psychological makeup. Each one should follow his own psychological make up, since by that alone he can make a holistic contribution to the society. Thus within the person Swabhava is the guiding principle. One who acts based on his Swabhava acts spontaneously. Spontaneity is the result of totality and results in harmony. Svadharma means one’s duties in society. These duties should not be imposed from outside pressures. In order to be natural, spontaneous and divine duties must be based on Swabhava. A persons' value system so regulated becomes a better contributor to the society and hence the marriage system was so structured such that the husband and wife belong to the same varna. In case of love between man and woman which knows no rules and transcends all bounds, it was natural that males and females belonging to different varnas met and even married against social conventions. Such marriages were known by the names of anuloma and pratiloma marriages. The varna-vyavastha in the society, was thus four fold and  was based on the scientific idea of division of labor.<ref name=":0" /> '''[[Ashrama Dharma (आश्रमधर्मः)|Ashrama vyavastha]]''' - While the varna vyavastha focuses on social justice, ashrama vyavastha concentrates on justice within the individual. The human life has been divided into different stages. Brahmacharya ashrama is the educative and disciplinary stage of life. In Grhastha ashrama, the youthful stage is diverted towards a life of duty. Hence the individual cultivates dharma, artha and kama. In Vanaprastha ashrama, he learns to withdraw from the society and learns to ignore his worldly attachments. He dissociates from artha and kama. Therefore, dharma and moksha becomes his main concern. In Sannyasa, moksha occupies the supreme place. In other words, the dharma which an individual cultivates in former ashramas becomes identified with moksha.
-'''[[Samskaras (संस्काराः)|Samskaras]]''' - Samskaras are those activities which helo to achieve purity and as a result complete development of the individual's personality is possible. In fact, the development of the individual is necessary in accordance with society. In order to fulfil this need, samskaras have been laid down as a means in the Hindu society and is connected with physical and non-physical aspects of man.  This helps the socialization of the individual and he develops respect for labor, virtue and duty. Sacraments are generally prevalent in almost all the societies of the world. For example, Sunnat and baptism are prevalent among the Muslims and the Christian respectively. But Samskaras are those kinds of sacraments that have a special significance in Hindu society. They have always been related to the age, occasion and Ashrama etc of the individual. They help refine and develop the personality of an individual and pave way for his social and spiritual progress. During the whole life of an individual, he is vested with some new responsibilities and duties. Samskaras inculcate the feeling in him to do his duty and discharge the responsibilities assigned to him for the welfare of others around him. Sanskaras are not only for his own good, but they also represent man's responsibility to society.<ref name=":0" />
+'''[[Samskaras (संस्काराः)|Samskaras]]''' - Samskaras are those activities which help to achieve purity and as a result complete development of the individual's personality is possible. In fact, the development of the individual is necessary in accordance with society. In order to fulfil this need, samskaras have been laid down as a means in the Hindu society and is connected with physical and non-physical aspects of man. This helps the socialization of the individual and he develops respect for labor, virtue and duty. Sacraments are generally prevalent in almost all the societies of the world. For example, Sunnat and baptism are prevalent among the Muslims and the Christian respectively. But Samskaras are those kinds of sacraments that have a special significance in Hindu society. They have always been related to the age, occasion and Ashrama etc of the individual. They help refine and develop the personality of an individual and pave way for his social and spiritual progress. During the whole life of an individual, he is vested with some new responsibilities and duties. Samskaras inculcate the feeling in him to do his duty and discharge the responsibilities assigned to him for the welfare of others around him. Sanskaras are not only for his own good, but they also represent man's responsibility to society.<ref name=":0" />
 '''[[Joint Family (संयुक्तकुटुम्बम्)]]''' - A dharmic society in India owes its very existence to the united family system called as a Joint Family (संयुक्तकुटुम्बम्). Even after repeated invasions and influence of foreign rulers for thousand years, if a dharmic society is still seen today, it is due to the family structure. After 300 years of contrary education, people have remained faithful to the dharmas propounded by our seers. However, as with any lengthy battles, Indian family system has been gradually weakening while the education system introduced by McCauley and others are steadily gaining ground over centuries. We have seen how the world which is steadily imitating countries like America, are lately realizing that it is a land of broken families. The dharmik values which shape the moral and ethical values of a person are not easily awakened unless given adequate exposure during his/her upbringing. Such values have largely been an integral part of our family structure which helped in keeping families united.
-'''Linguistic Structure''' - India has numerous languages and dialects. There are important languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Rajasthani, Manipuri and Urdu. Hindi has been given the status of India’s official language along with English. The underlying linguistic thread that holds people of all these languages is Samskrit.
+'''Linguistic Structure''' - India has numerous languages and dialects. There are many important languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Rajasthani, Manipuri and more recently Urdu. Hindi has been given the status of India’s official language along with English. The underlying linguistic thread that holds people of all these languages is Samskrit. The cultural, moral, ethical and dharmik values of all these people have a common origin viz., the Vaidika vangmaya, Itihasas and Puranas etc. The language in which all these texts have been composed is Samskrit, the root language of all cultures in India.
 == References ==
 <references />

@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 * '''Social regulation''' - Various families collectively form the society, and they evolve restrictions and rules keeping the collective and wider view of the society. Just as an individual is regulated by the family norms and performs functions towards each other, so also the family performs functions and is regulated by the norms of the society of which it is a part. Thus social regulation of larger societies come into place. For example, there are social restrictions on divorce varying in intensity, in almost every society.
 * '''Persistence and change''' - The family is the most permanent and universal institution, yet as an association it is subject to constant change in composition and structure, even within the same society. The structure, behavioral patterns and functions of the family have been changing with changes in the socio-economic order.
-== संयुक्तकुटुंबम् ॥ Joint Family ==
+== Distinctive Features of the Indian Family ==
-{{Main|Joint Family (संयुक्तकुटुम्बम्)}}
+Respect for parents, support of widows daughters and sisters and the maintenance of infants and relatives are the noble features of Indian culture. The senior and earning member of a family takes upon himself the duty which in European countries is considered that of the government now-a-days. Members of a family, though separated by distance and time, because of occupational compulsions, feel united by a traditional and sentimental common tie which is not so much noticeable in other countries. In addition to the factors given in the previous section, bharatiya principles which are the driving forces for raising a family include the following
-A dharmic society in India owes its very existence to the united family system called as a [[Joint Family (संयुक्तकुटुम्बम्)]]. Even after repeated invasions and influence of foreign rulers for thousand years, if a dharmic society is still seen today, it is due to the family structure. After 300 years of contrary education, people have remained faithful to the dharmas propounded by our seers. However, as with any lengthy battles, Indian family system has been gradually weakening while the education system introduced by McCauley and others are steadily gaining ground over centuries. We have seen how the world which is steadily imitating countries like America is a land of broken families. The dharmik values which shape the moral and ethical values of a person are not easily awakened unless given adequate exposure during his/her upbringing. Such values have largely been an integral part of our family structure which helped in keeping families united.
 == References ==
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 * '''Samskaras''' - Samskaras are those activities which helo to achieve purity and as a result complete development of the individual's personality is possible. In fact, the development of the individual is necessary in accordance with society. In order to fulfil this need, samskaras have been laid down as a means in the Hindu society and is connected with physical and non-physical aspects of man.  This helps the socialization of the individual and he develops respect for labor, virtue and duty. Sacraments are generally prevalent in almost all the societies of the world. For example, Sunnat and baptism are prevalent among the Muslims and the Christian respectively. But Samskaras are those kinds of sacraments that have a special significance in Hindu society. They have always been related to the age, occasion and Ashrama etc of the individual. They help refine and develop the personality of an individual and pave way for his social and spiritual progress. During the whole life of an individual, he is vested with some new responsibilities and duties. Samskaras inculcate the feeling in him to do his duty and discharge the responsibilities assigned to him for the welfare of others around him. Sanskaras are not only for his own good, but they also represent man's responsibility to society.<ref name=":0" />
-== संयुक्त कुटुंबम् ॥ Joint Family ==
+== संयुक्तकुटुंबम् ॥ Joint Family ==
-A dharmic society in India owes its very existence to the united family system. Even after repeated invasions and influence of foreign rulers for thousand years, if a dharmic society is still seen today, it is due to the family structure. After 300 years of contrary education, people have remained faithful to the dharmas propounded by our seers. However, as with any lengthy battles, Indian family system has been gradually weakening while the education system introduced by McCauley and others are steadily gaining ground over centuries. We have seen how the world which is steadily imitating countries like America is a land of broken families. The dharmik values which shape the moral and ethical values of a person are not easily awakened unless given adequate exposure during his/her upbringing. Such values have largely been an integral part of our family structure which helped to keep families integrated.
+A dharmic society in India owes its very existence to the united family system called as a [[Joint Family (संयुक्तकुटुम्बम्)]]. Even after repeated invasions and influence of foreign rulers for thousand years, if a dharmic society is still seen today, it is due to the family structure. After 300 years of contrary education, people have remained faithful to the dharmas propounded by our seers. However, as with any lengthy battles, Indian family system has been gradually weakening while the education system introduced by McCauley and others are steadily gaining ground over centuries. We have seen how the world which is steadily imitating countries like America is a land of broken families. The dharmik values which shape the moral and ethical values of a person are not easily awakened unless given adequate exposure during his/her upbringing. Such values have largely been an integral part of our family structure which helped to keep families united.
 In fact, the secret of a happy peaceful dharmik society life lies in the 'family spirit'. The basis of all our social relations is the feeling of family, not just limited to blood relations. This family feeling or intimacy was visible in practice, and such education and rites were given in families as well as in schools which promoted this familial unity. A Guru treated his student with familial love just like his son. A Maharaja is the father of all his citizens. The term "praja" itself means "progeny" or "children". People working in the same occupation are not competitive, they are "occupational brothers". The Earth is worshipped as the mother, our country is called the motherland. Cow, Tulsi, and Ganga are revered as the mothers. The people who come to listen to the lecture in the meeting hall are 'my dear sisters and brothers'. Even our markets are run with a family spirit.