Asura marriage
Asura marriage (Hindi pronunciation: [असुर विवाह]) has been defined in as a marriage related to the Asura, where the family of groom buys the bride from bride's family in exchange of something valuabe.[1]
Manusmriti
Manu Smriti in section IV - Eight types of marriage (Verse 3.31)[2]
Jñātibhyo draviṇaṃ dattvā kanyāyai caiva śaktitaḥ |
kanyāpradānaṃ svācchandyādāsuro dharma ucyate ||
Sanskrit:
ज्ञातिभ्यो द्रविणं दत्त्वा कन्यायै चैव शक्तितः।
कन्याप्रदानं स्वाच्छन्द्यादासुरो धर्म उच्यते॥
Description
When a man (groom) carries away a woman (bride or maiden) after giving wealth as may be sought by her father on the plea to recover the money spent on her upbringing, it is called Asura marriage. This type of marriage is recommended for Vaishyas and Shudra among four varnas of the Hindu social order in Hinduism. This form of marriage is not recommended for Brahmin and Kshatriya and as such considered as unlawful. Typically, it depends on will and desire of man and his wealth but irrespective of willingness of bride.
This type of marriage literally amounts to purchasing the bride by a paying a price to her kinsmen. By taking undue advantage of this type a marriage, a rich but incompetent man can have as many wives but poor and competent man may not be able to afford the money to be paid. For such reasons, this type of marriage is not considered as dignified but viewed as lowly.
References
- ^ "जानें क्या और कैसे होता है असुर, राक्षस और पैशाच विवाह". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 2022-10-16.
- ^ Jha, Gajananda (2016j). "Manusmriti Verse 3.27". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
