Marriage in Hinduism: Difference between revisions

'''Hindu marriage''' harmonizes two individuals (mostly male and female) for ultimate eternity, so that they can pursue [[dharma]] (responsibility/duties), arth (meaning), and  kama. It is a union of two individuals as spouses, and is recognized by liveable continuity. In Hinduism, marriage is not followed by traditional rituals for [[consummation]]. In fact, marriage is considered complete or valid even without consummation because the marriage is between two souls and it is beyond the body. It also joins two families together.  

== Importance of Marriage ==

Taking the bride from her father’s home to one’s own home is termed as ‘''[[vivaha]]''’ or ‘''udvah''’. Vivaha means Panigrahan, meaning the groom holding the hand of the bride to make her his wife. Since the man holds the hand of the woman, after marriage the woman should go and stay with the man.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What does Hinduism say about family life? - Hindu relationships - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - WJEC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zh732sg/revision/3|access-date=2021-05-18|website=BBC Bitesize|language=en-GB}}</ref> A man going and staying with the woman is inappropriate.

In the earlier times, at the age of eight after the [[Upanayana|upanayan sanskar]], a boy would remain in his [[Guru]]’s hermitage for at least twelve years. Thereafter, before entering the stage of [[Grihastha|gruhasthashram]] (Householder), for four to five years he would make efforts to develop the ability to earn a livelihood. Giving due consideration to all this, the age group of twenty-five to thirty years was considered as ideal for a boy’s marriage. Once the girl crossed her childhood stage, for the next five to six years she was taught how to shoulder worldly responsibilities. Hence, the age group of twenty to twenty-five years was considered ideal for marriage for a girl.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chandra|first=Jagriti|date=2020-09-04|title=Should the age of marriage for women be raised to 21?|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/should-the-age-of-marriage-for-women-be-raised-to-21/article32517084.ece|access-date=2021-05-18|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> From the spiritual perspective in the current period too, the above mentioned age groups are ideal for marriage of boys and girls.

''Jatakam'' or ''Kundali'' is drawn based on the placement of the stars and planets at the time of birth. The maximum points for any match can be 36 and the minimum points for matching is 18.<ref name="Kundali Matching">{{cite web |last1=Kapoor |first1=Abhinav |title=36 points need to be acquired for an auspicious Gunn Milan method and happy marriage |url=https://trustedteller.com/kundali-matching |website=TrustedTeller |access-date=5 May 2017 |ref=Hindu Marriage}}</ref> Any match with points under 18 is not considered as an auspicious match for a harmonious relationship but still it depends liberally on people they can still marry. If the astrological chart of the two individuals (male and female) achieve the required threshold in points then further talks are considered for prospective marriage. Also the man and woman are given a chance to talk and understand each other. Once there is an agreement then an auspicious time is chosen for the wedding to take place.

# [[Paishacha marriage]] - When a man by stealth seduces a girl who is sleeping, intoxicated, or mentally challenged, it is called Paishacha marriage. This is condemned in the [[Manusmriti]] as a sinful act. In modern times this is called [[Date rape|Date Rape]] and is a crime in most civilized lands.<ref>{{cite book|title=Manusmriti 3.27-34}}</ref>

===Symbols of Hindu marriage===

Many people believe that arranged marriage is the traditional form of marriage in India; however love marriage is a modern form, usually in urban areas. Love marriage differs from arranged marriage in that the couple, rather than the parents, choose their own partner. There are various instances from ancient scriptures of Hinduism, of romantic love marriages that were accepted in ancient times, for example [[Dushyanta]] and [[Shakuntala]] in the story of the [[Mahabharata]]. Somewhere in the course of time, arranged marriages became predominant and love marriages became unacceptable or at least frowned upon, some historians believe that it happened in the foreign invasion period. Despite some love marriages, the vast majority of Hindus continue to have arranged marriages, though the prospective couples usually have more agency in the match than they did historically.

There are 7 types of Hindu marriages, and all of them are defined as between a man and a woman. Further, Shri Krishna preached that the ultimate goal of marriage is to procreate together to raise God-conscious children. Since homosexual couples cannot procreate together, gay marriage is technically not valid in Hinduism, regardless of opinion. There are both conservative and liberal views about homosexuality and same-sex marriages in [[Hinduism]] with Hindu priests having performed marriage of same-sex couples. In 2004, [[Hinduism Today]] asked Hindu swamis (teachers) their opinion of same-sex marriage. The swamis expressed a range of opinions, positive and negative.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}