Hindu Marriage

The Hindu Marriage is a very much complicated, ritualistic, and traditional marriage, which is mainly based in the tradition of Vedas.

Hindu marriage

Hindu marriage

Hindu marriage is the bonding of two individuals to perform four religious duties: Dharma (Duty), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Sexual Desire) and Moksha (Salvation or Liberation of soul. It also joins two families and the color of the wedding is basically red and golden.

Vivaha or Marriage between man and woman for begetting a son necessary for salvation and the performance of the religious duty. Hinduism divides human life in four stages: Brahmacharya (Life of a student), Grahasta (Married life), Vanaprasta (Retired life) and Sanyasa (Ascetic life). A Grahasta acts to connect the ascendants with descendants.

According to them marriage is the fifth sacrament of their sixteen sacraments and is important for an ordinary man. Manu extolled that wife is the main source of the first three Purusarthas, namely dharma, artha, and kama.

Different Types of Hindu Marriage

There are around eight types of marriages are there in Hinduism which are as follows:

1. Brahma Marriage

According to this bride’s father gifts to an established and good person with ornaments, dresses and many things.

2. Daiva Marriage

In this type of marriage, girl’s father use to give her to a person under whom he works as a sacrificial offering to him.

3. Arsa Marriage

In this type of marriage, bride’s family use to get a pair of kind of gift from groom family without any bargaining.

4. Prajapatya Marriage

Here father use to give away his daughter to a suitor addressing the couple with the text, “May both of you perform together your duties” and it shows that the couple thereby enters into a bond for procreating and bringing up children performing the function of Prajapati.

5. Asura Marriage

Here bridegroom use to pay the amount to the bride’s family and purchase her and marry.

6. Gandharva Marriage

It is the same as love marriage, which happens sometimes in the consent of parents and sometimes not.

7. Rakshasa Marriage

In this type of marriage, the groom use to injure, kill bride’s family and snatch her from her family and marry.

8. Paisacha Marriage

In this type of marriage, groom makes the girl unconscious in many ways and marry her.

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Customs of Marriage

Hindu marriage holds different types of rituals which are as follows

Madhu Parka Ceremony

(couple use to feed each a sweet made by honey by saying some mantra), presentation of cow to groom; (in past days it is literally but in today they make it as a symbolic act and gift groom dresses and ornaments etc.)

Kanya Dan

In this ceremony father of the bride use to handover her to groom in front of priest in some ritualistic way.

Vivah Homa

This ceremony is also known as Nupital homa or ‘Marriage Sacred Fire; where in front of sacred fire couple use to purify themselves in rituals and offer many herbs and ghee in fire and chant many mantras.

 Pani Grahanam

In this ceremony, the couple both take different promises for the bonding of life long on each other.

Pratigna Karanam

In here they use to take marriage vows.

Shilarohanam

In this ceremony bride use to break some stones to signify that she and he will together overcome all hurdles of marriage.

Laja Homa

In this ceremony couple use to offer puffed rice in that sacred fire.

Mangal Fera

In this couple walks around the sacred fire in ritualistic way seven times.

Abhisheka

In this priest or brother of bride sprinkles the holy water upon the newly married couple and priest chants from Rig Veda.

Sooriya Darshanam Dhayaanam Va

Pray to Sun to give them power for new life,

Hriday Sparsh

In this groom touches the heart of bride and promise by chant,

Dhruva Danayaam Darshanam Va

In this they pray to be like pole star to be fixed and steadfast in their marital vows,

Anna Prasanam

In this couple use to feed each other in a rituals

Asirvada

Here groom places his hands upon the head of bride and bless her by ritualistic mantra.

Celebration

After marriage there always have lavish feasts from both sides with lot of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes along with song and dance.