By Sauro Dasgupta
Marriage is a universal social institution to regulate man’s sex life. The Polish-British social anthropologist, Bronislaw Malinowski, defined marriage as “a contract for the production and maintenance of children”.
Marriage is also regarded as a sacred bond. A marriage requires social approval to become legal. It creates obligations to care for each other and their children. Marriage leads to a family, deepens emotional relations among family members and inter-group friendship. Inter-caste, inter-race and inter-group marriages strengthen social solidarity.
In India, marriages are performed under several rituals, differing in religious customs. The goal intended is the same to establish a permanent relationship. Among Hindus, marriages are performed by observing some rituals.
The main aims of the Hindu marriage are ‘dharma’ (duty), ‘praja’ (progeny) and ‘kama’ (physical pleasures). People use horoscopes to fix a Hindu marriage. If horoscopes are found to be similar, an auspicious time is chosen for the wedding to take place. Arranged marriages are also common. With the prevalence of dating and with parents accepting it, people are free to choose their life partners.
The Hindu marriage is guided by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The members of all religious communities, except Muslims, are under the ambit of this Act. Polygamy and polyandry are not allowed under the Act. Hindu Shastras prescribe the following categories of marriage process, which is observed by the couple:
Vaak Daanam: Here the boy sends two elders to the family of the girl whom he wants to marry. The elders convey the message and when the girl’s parents accept the proposal, it’s known as ‘Vaak Daanam’.
Kanyadanna: When the bridegroom and his family members arrive in the wedding hall, they are welcomed by the bride’s family. The bride’s mother applies tilak on the bridegroom’s forehead. She sprinkles turmeric powder and rice on the groom’s head and blesses him. The bride’s parents welcome the bridegroom and ask him to drink a nutritious liquid called Madhuparka.
Vara Prekshanam: In this ritual, the bridegroom and the bride look at each other formally for the first time. The bridegroom prays to the gods Varuna, Brihaspati, Indra and Surya to make her fit for the marriage. The bridegroom recites the mantra and wipes the eyebrows of the bride with a blade of durba grass to symbolise the removal of defects of the bride. The couple exchange their garlands vowing their mutual fidelities.
Maangalya Dhaaranam: Here, the bridegroom ties the mangal sutra (auspicious thread) around the neck of the bride.
Homa: Here, the bride cups her palms and her brothers fill them with parched rice. The husband adds a drop of ghee to it, reciting five Veda mantras. At the end of each of the recitation, the parched rice is thrown into the sacred fire as offerings to Agni. The wife prays for long life for her husband. At the end of the ceremony, the husband unties the durba belt around the waist of his wife with another mantra. The husband states through this mantra that he unites his wife and ties her now with the bonds of Lord Varuna and invites her to be a full partner in his life to enjoy the blessings of wedded life.
Panigrahana: In this ritual, the bridegroom faces the west and the bride sits in front of the groom facing the east. The bridegroom chants Vedic mantras and vows to care for her and protect her from all odds.
Saptapadi: The bridegroom leads the bride in the northeastern direction for seven steps or the bride is carried around the bridegroom seven times around chanting charms of love, affection and togetherness and asking the bride to be his partner in all joys and grief. The Hindu marriage is complete after this ritual.
The Hindu marriage is a sacrament due to the sacred beliefs and values involved. The values are manifold. It’s an indissoluble bond. It’s a social duty towards the family and the community.
We have discussed above the conventional method of marriage. Nowadays, marriages may be performed not being arranged by the parents of the couple. With or without the approval of parents, a couple may get married by registering their names with the Marriage Registrar, empowered by the Special Marriage Act. Even when there is a marriage under conventional method, the couple have to get their marriage registered under the act. Today, with the advent of social media, young people can communicate through the same, get engaged to each other and get married.
(The author is a student of International Relations at Jadavpur University, Kolkata)