Table of Contents
Types of Ancient Hindu Marriage – Vivah Ke Prakar
In Hinduism, marriage is considered to be a bond of seven births in which two souls meet. Marriage has been described as the fifteenth of the sixteen sacraments in which a person enters the life of a householder from his life of celibacy. Along with this, marriages in Manusmriti have been divided into eight parts according to their types. It has been a tradition to get married on the basis of these. Today we will tell you in detail about the different types of marriage.
Brahma Marriage
Brahma marriage is considered the best marriage in which two families meet. The biggest feature of Brahm marriage is considered to be Kanyadan. For Brahma marriage, it is necessary for both bride and groom to come from Brahmacharya Ashram to Grihastha Ashram, that means their age should be more than twenty five years. It is necessary for both of them to be of the same varna for Brahma marriage to take place.
In this, first of all the family members of the groom go to the bride’s house with a relationship and propose marriage. When consent is obtained from the bride’s family, the relationship is considered confirmed. After this, the marriage is done with full rituals and with Vedic mantras, in which the bride’s father is married. After Kanyadaan, that woman is now considered to be of the groom’s side and now she has to fulfill the duties of her life by staying there.
Also Read: Best Mantra Remedy For Marriage with Method & Benefits in English & Hindi
Prajapatya Marriage
In Prajapatya marriage, the bride’s parents do not take her consent for the marriage and get her married at a young age. In this, instead of handing over his daughter to the groom, the father of the girl hands over his daughter to her father. That’s why after marriage she goes to her in-laws house.
Since they are still young, the bride is kept in the house as a daughter and they are allowed to live together when household life begins. This is a form of Brahma Vivah, only in this marriage is done first.
Divine Marriage
This is also a form of Brahmo marriage in a way, but there was no religious ritual etc. in it. This was done when a person was unable to get his daughter married and did not have enough money or the girl could not be married within a certain age limit or could not find a suitable groom for her. Ho.
In that situation, he used to get his daughter married to a perfect man or a knowledgeable person, that is, he used to donate his daughter in religious rituals etc. This has been given the noun of divine marriage. Although it has been said in the religious scriptures not to do divine marriage as far as possible, but according to the situation, it was considered appropriate to do it.
Also Read: Ramayana Mantra for Job & Marriage | Usage & Benefits | रामायण मन्त्र | Powerful Ramayana Mantra
Arsh Marriage
This was generally a marriage in which the people of the groom’s side gave cows and bulls to the bride’s side in return for her marriage. There was no exchange of any kind of money in this. That’s why it was also called Godan marriage. It was also done mainly for the purpose of helping tribal or poor families. Through this marriage, the bridegroom used to donate a cow as a fee.
Gandharva Marriage
According to today’s time, it can also be called love marriage. This was a marriage in which a man and a woman liked each other but their families did not agree to it. That’s why this marriage was done without his permission, then it has been given the noun of Gandharva marriage. In this they used to get married without any major religious rituals. If seen in history, Maharaj Dushyant’s marriage with Shakuntala comes in the category of Gandharva marriage.
Also Watch: Remedies to Get Likeminded Bride or Groom
Asura Marriage
This marriage was not kept in the category of proper marriage. This usually happened more with girls from poor families in which a price was paid for marrying a girl. In this, by giving more money to the people of the bride’s side, the groom’s side used to make a deal of the girl and the marriage was completed.
This usually happened when the man either had some defect, belonged to a low caste or was not suitable for the girl, such as being older than her or any other reason. This marriage is not considered good in the scriptures.
Monster Marriage
When a man and a woman like each other and the family members of the groom’s side agree with it but the bride’s side disagrees, then seeing the girl’s choice, marrying her came under the category of Rakshasa marriage.
Lord Krishna also had a demon marriage in which Rukmani liked him but his family members were not ready for it. Then Shri Krishna had abducted Rukmani and married her. Apart from this, in other famous examples, the marriage of Lord Krishna’s sister Subhadra with Arjuna and Maharaj Prithviraj Chauhan’s marriage with Sayongita was also a demonic marriage.
Also Watch: Marriage Promises in India | 7 Marriage Promises
Paishach Marriage
This marriage has been kept in the category of most unfair marriage. This was done when a girl is either not in her senses or is in deep sleep or has been forcefully married to someone else, that marriage has been kept in the category of Paishach marriage. This marriage is an unfair marriage. In which a girl was forced to marry a stranger without her consent and when she regained consciousness, she came to know that she was married.