Concept & Nature of Marriage
📚 Topic Overview
Religious Significance
Marriage is a compulsory and vital Sanskar establishing an inseparable relation.
Sacred Obligations
It unites individuals to fulfill obligatory duties and achieve the higher ends of life.
Introduction to the Institution of Marriage
Oldest institution of Hindu is marriage, very essential place in their social life
One of the most important Sanskar in which father entrusts his daughter in the hands of noble and physically sound groom who there by becomes her husband, Marriage has religious significance.
According to Raghunandan “Hindu marriage implies to acceptance of the bride as wife by groom through ceremonial process which is a kanyadan”
Only Sanskar which is not prohibited for any one irrespective of caste and sex and is compulsory for all. Male and female are united in wedlock to give birth to male child
Necessary to have his own son from legally wedded wife, who is suppose to perform funeral rites to give sacred obligation to ancestor on death for their salvation. Hindu law has given important status to male child because plays key role for the salvation of parents. Son is considered as saviour from hell.
Marriage is not just means of satisfying corporal lust it is simply religious obligatory duty to achieve higher ends of life. Binding upon every Hindu unless he takes vow of celibacy.
The Sacred Bond and Marital Obligations
Man is perfect when he has wife and children. Wives consider better halves and religious partner of husband. Without wife man is considered incomplete.
Acc to Ramayan “Wife is considered soul of her Husband”
Acc to Mahabharat “Wife is considered half part of husband and his best friend, she is inspiration man’s wealth, ambition source of salvation”
Marriage is an inseparable relation, cannot be broken by any means
Acc to Manu “Daughter is given in marriage only once and she remains the wife of that person to whom she is given for marriage for her whole life”
Conditions for Remarriage & Marital Relations
Two Jurist of later period Narda and Prasar have stated 5 Condition in which wife could abandon her husband and remarry-
- i) where husband is lost
- ii) dead
- iii ) has renounced the world has become sanayasi
- Husband has become impotent
- Has been outcasted by caste
Acc to Manu “remarriage of widow women could not be even imagined after death of her husband she has to live her life simply and she has to live her life simply, minimally and practice celibacy and Chasity
Marital relation between the spouses are not contract between the two but gift of girl by her father to the bridegroom followed by religious ceremony of saptapadi.
In a Hindu Marriage Parents of girl gives her away to Nobel man after inviting him and accomplish religious rites and ceremonies bridegroom accepts her as wife and vows to keep her happy till last breath, hardly any place for contractor between bride and groom.