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There are many rules in Hindu religion. If you try to know the reason behind these rules, you will find that there is a special story behind every rule. One of these is to keep the son-in-law away from the dying person at the time of death. But why?
After marriage, every son-in-law gets a lot of love and respect from his father-in-law. But as soon as the father-in-law’s health becomes serious and the time of death approaches, suddenly all the rules change. The son-in-law is stopped from entering the father-in-law’s room. If you touch the feet even by mistake, the elderly women of the house scream. Why after all?
This tradition is followed strictly even today in Hindu families from North India to South India. After all, what is the reason for this? Why is the son-in-law kept away from the dying father-in-law? Today we will tell you the reason for this.
a strong relationship
Old people say that the word “son-in-law” itself is a bad omen. Son-in-law is also called son-in-law in India. Jamai means Jam + Aai means Yama has come! That is, wherever the son-in-law comes, Yamraj also follows him. This belief is thousands of years old. Even today in rural areas, people say that if a son-in-law sits near a dying person or touches his feet, his life immediately ends. As soon as the Yamdoot sees the son-in-law, he understands that “now the time is up, take your life.” In the villages of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, this rule is even more strict. When the father-in-law is breathing his last, the son-in-law is sent out of the house. In many houses, the son-in-law is not even allowed to enter the house for 11-13 days, because it is believed that the shadow of the son-in-law also troubles the dead soul. But what is this belief? The real reason?
The belief is based on folk tales
There is no direct mention of this in the Vedic period and Puranas, but two-three reasons emerge in folktales and stories of elders:
jamai-yam word game
In Sanskrit and Prakrit language, the pronunciation of the word “Jamai” sounded like “Yam-i”. Gradually it became a belief that Yamraj raises his ears at the mention of his son-in-law’s name. The most interesting and scary reason is that the son-in-law is considered to prolong life. Elders say that the son-in-law is the representative of the new generation. His age has started, while his father-in-law’s age is on the verge of ending. If both come together then the “new age” pulls out the old age. Meaning, the son-in-law “takes” even the remaining breaths of the father-in-law. Due to this fear the son-in-law is kept away. Today’s doctors and the new generation consider it merely a superstition. But even today 90% of the houses in villages follow this rule. In many places, the son-in-law has to perform a special puja before attending the last rites so that the “effect of Yama” is eliminated.
