Among the Hindus, vivaha or marriage is considered a sarira samskara, i.e., sacraments sanctifying the body, which every individual has to go through in life. It is a topic that is controversial and widely debated. When you optically canvass elaborate Indian arranged marriages and analyze the involution and effort involved to make it prosperous, you may wonder how and when this practice commenced. Arranged marriages in India originated during the Vedic period of Indian history. The ceremony and the institution of arranged marriages withal took its shape during this time.
MARRIAGE IN HINDUISM:
Hindu marriage harmonizes two individuals for ultimate eternity, so that they can pursue dharma (Truth), arth (meaning), and kama (worldly desires). It is a union of two individuals as spouses, and is recognized by livable continuity. In Hinduism, marriage is not followed by traditional rituals for consummation. In fact, marriage is considered complete or valid even without consummation because the marriage is between two souls and it is beyond the body. It also joins two families together. Today the culture of marriage among Hindus is such new concept of Love-Arrange Marriage or Arrange-Love Marriage.
EVOLUTION:
The concept of Hindu Marriage goes much deeper than just a man-woman relationship. It has been called as essential Samskara as it imbibes all the humane ethos of Hindu Culture from the birth of human life, endurance through trials & tribulations of married life and destiny of future generation after the death of marriage partners. Its ideals are the fulfillment of dharma, procreation, and enjoyment of sexual pleasure. It exhibits an integral approach to this social institution.
THE EVOLUTION OF HINDU MARRIAGE TRENDS THROUGH INDIAN HISTORY:
Marriage is considered to be a sacred institution in India. It is a ‘sanskara’ or purificatory ceremony obligatory for every Hindu. Marriages, according to Hindu beliefs are made in heaven, and once you are married, the bond is supposed to last for seven lifetimes. It is considered to be a turning point in an individual’s life as he enters the second important phase or ashram of his life – the ‘Garhasthyaashram’. Hindu religious books have enjoined marriage as a duty because an unmarried man cannot perform some of the most important religious ceremonies.
VEDIC AGE AND THE SOCIETAL SHIFT TO PATRIARCHY:
As the Vedic religion evolved into classical orthodox Hinduism (ca. 500BC), the social ideas advanced by Manu gained prominence, and large sections of Indian society moved towards patriarchy and caste-based rules. Manu and others attacked the Gandharva and other similar systems, decrying them as holdouts “from the time of promiscuity” which, at best, were only suitable for small sections of society. Under the system they advocated (sometimes called Manuvad), women were stripped of their traditional independence and placed permanently in male custodianship: first of their fathers in childhood, then of their husbands through married life, and finally of their sons in old age. Women then began to migrate to their husband’s home after getting married.
FORMS OF HINDU MARRIAGE
The Hindu scriptures admit the following eight forms of marriage:
- Brahma marriage: In this form of marriage the girl, decorated with clothes and ornaments, is given in marriage to a learned and gentle bridegroom. This is the prevalent form of marriage in Hindu society today.
- Prajapatya marriage: In this form of marriage the daughter is offered to the bride-groom by blessing them with the enjoyment of marital bliss and the fulfillment of dharma.
- Aarsh marriage: In this form of marriage a Rishi used to accept a girl in marriage after giving a cow or bull and some clothes to the parents of the girl. These articles were not the price of the bride but indicated the resolve of the Rishi to lead a house-hold life. According to P.K.Acharya, the word Aarsh has been derived from the word Rishi.
- Daiva Marriage: In this form of marriage the girl, decorated with ornaments and clothes, was offered to the person who conducted the function of a Purohit in the yajna.
- Asura marriage: In this form of marriage the bride-groom gets the bride in exchange for some money or articles given to the family members of the bride. Such a form of marriage was conducted in the case of marriage of Pandu with Madri.
- Gandharva marriage: This form is marriage is the result of mutual affection and love of the bride and the bride-groom. An example of this type of marriage is the marriage of the King Dushyanata with Shakuntala. In this form of marriage, the ceremonies can be performed after a sexual relationship between the bride and the bride-groom. In Taittariya Samhita it has been pointed out that this type of marriage has been so named because of its prevalence among the Gandharvas.
- Rakshas marriage: This type of marriage was prevalent in the age when women were considered to be the prize of the war. In this type of marriage, the bride-groom takes away the bride from her house forcibly after killing and injuring her relatives.
- Paisach marriage: This type of marriage has been called to be most degenerate. In this type, a man enters into a sexual relationship with a sleeping, drunk or unconscious woman. Such acts were regularised after the performance of a marriage ceremony which took place after the physical relationship between the man and woman.
TYPES OF HINDU MARRIAGE AND RITUALS
Historically the Vedic marriage was but one of the few different types of Hindu marriage customs. Love marriage was also seen in historical Hindu literature and has been variously described by many names, such as Gandharva vivaha. In certain poor vaishnav communities there is still a custom called kanthi-badal which is an exchange of bead-garlands as a very simplified form of ritual in solitude in front of an idol of Krishna, considered a form of acceptable love marriage.
Elopement has also been described in old Hindu literature. Lord Krishna himself eloped with Rukmini on a horse chariot. It is written that Rukmini’s father was going to marry her to Shishupal, against her wishes. Rukimini sent a letter to Krishna informing of a place and time to pick her up.
SYMBOLIC RITUALS FOLLOWED BY MARRIED HINDU WOMEN
The married Hindu women in different parts of India follow different customs. Mostly sindoor, mangalsutra and bangles are considered as signs of a married woman. In some places, in especially Eastern India, instead of mangalsutra they put only vermilion on the hair parting, wear a pair of conch bangles (shankha), red bangles (pala) and an iron bangle on the left hand (loha) while their husband is alive. In southern India, a married woman may wear a necklace with a distinctive pendant called a thali and silver toe-rings. Both are put on her by the husband during the wedding ceremony.
THE LAWS OF MANU SAMHITA:
The Manu Samhita that was written in around 200 BC, is known to have laid down the marital laws, which is followed even today. Manu, one of the most influential interpreters of these scriptures, documented the Manu Samhita. Traditionally accepted as one of the supplementary arms of the Vedas, The Laws of Manu or Manava Dharma Shastra is one of the standard books in the Hindu canon, presenting the norms of domestic, social, and religious life in India.
THE FOUR AIMS OF LIFE:
These texts mention the four main aims of Hindu life: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. Dharma represented the harmony between “temporal interests and spiritual freedom”. Artha referred to the “acquisitive instinct, and signified man’s enjoyment of wealth”. Kama represented the instinctive and was connected with satisfying the emotional, sexual, and aesthetic urges of man. Moksha represented the end of life and the realization of an inner spirituality in man.
THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
It further mentions that these four aims of life were to be accomplished by conducting life in four stages which were – “bhramacharya, grihastha, vanaspratha, and samnyasa”.The second stage grihastha dealt with marriage and included the goals of dharma, progeny, and sex. The Vedas and the Smritis thus gave an authentic written foundation to the institution of marriage. As Vedas and the Manu Samhita is the earliest available document it can be ascertained that marriage started with this era.
HINDU WEDDING RITUALS:
Hindu marriage ceremony is essentially a Vedic yajna or fire-sacrifice, in which the Aryan deities are invoked in the archaic Indo-Aryan style. The primary witness of a Hindu marriage is the fire-deity or Agni, and by law and tradition, no Hindu marriage is deemed complete unless in the presence of the Sacred Fire, and seven circumambulations have been made around it by the bride and the groom together. The Vedas set out in detail the ritualistic importance of the nuptial ceremony. The seven vows of a Hindu marriage are also mentioned in the Vedic texts.
MODERN CHANGES IN THE HINDU MARRIAGE:
Due to the influence of Western culture and English education, the Hindu marriage system has undergone considerable changes. Some of the important ones are:
Marriage is not held as compulsory: In the Hindu society formerly marriage was considered to be absolutely compulsory for both males and females. According to Hindu scriptures, a person who does not beget a son through marriage cannot attain heaven. No man could perform ‘yajna’ without a wife. Marriage, therefore, was necessary even for religious purposes. But, due to the influence of Western culture, many males and females do not consider marriage to be necessary these days. Due to economic difficulties also some persons do not enter into matrimony. The modern educated Hindu girl is not ready to accept the slavery of males. The educated men and women do not believe in the ancient religious values and therefore do not consider marriage to be necessary.
Breaking of the taboos of Sagotra and Sapravar marriage: Ancient Hindu tradition forbids the marriage of persons belonging to the same Gotra and Pravar. This very much restricts the field of choice of mate. Therefore, at present, the educated persons are gradually violating the restriction. It has been also rejected by law.
The opposition of Child Marriages: In medieval India, the custom of child marriage was very much in vogue. After the passing of the Sarada Act, child marriages have become illegal. Another factor leading to the restriction of child marriage in Hindu society is a tremendous increase in women’s education. The boys do not marry early because of late settlement in career.
Permission of Inter-caste Marriage: Formerly, inter-caste marriage was considered to be wrong in the Hindu society. It has now been legally permitted. With the increase of co-education, women’s education and the democratic ideal of equality and liberty, inter-caste marriages are now considered to be signs of forwardness.
Permission of Widow Remarriage: due to the untiring efforts of the social reformers and educated person widow remarriage is no more considered to be wrong in Hindu society. Consequently, its incidence is now on the decrease.
Prohibition of Polygamy: Formerly, a man was allowed to marry several women in order to get a son. With the increase of women’s education, the ladies are demanding equal rights in marriage. The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 has declared polygamy to be illegal. No one can marry a second time, while the former spouse is alive.
Provision for Divorce: The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 has introduced a significant change in the institution of Hindu marriage by permitting divorce under certain specific circumstances.
LOVE MARRIAGE
Mutually fixed/ consented marriages are basically of three types:
- Between same caste– intra-caste & intra-faith marriages
- Inter-caste marriages
- Inter-faith marriages
Love marriage is a misnomer because love in matrimonial context is sexual interplay, which includes dating, courtship, live-in arrangement, infatuation, and even sexual contact/ violence. Any of these may or may not fructify into a solemnized legal marriage. More often than not, this results in a void, voidable or bigamous marriage than a legal marriage. From a legal point of view, these relationships or marriages form a great chunk of matrimonial disputes and matrimonial violence. In love marriages or self-seek matrimonial alliances, sexual relationships or even courtship before marriage are quite common. Both of these aspects have grave legal implications. Therefore, the utmost secrecy by both partners sometimes lands them into the arena of criminal offenses.
LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIPS:
More and more couples are going in for live-in relationships, not only celebrities but even middle-class couples are choosing to live together for various personal or social reasons. Some of these reasons are: society and families no longer frown upon ‘live-in relationship’ as much as before and couples who do not wish to make lifelong commitments prefer to live together before getting married. Others say that they need to know each other better before they tie the nuptial knot. Yet others live together due to circumstances such as work requirements or for saving money by keeping one house rather than two. Lastly, young men and women live together because they no longer believe in the traditional sanctity of marriage.
ROLE OF ASTROLOGY IN ARRANGED MARRIAGE
Hindus believe in astrology. The prospective couple’s horoscopes have to be analyzed and “suitably matched” for the marriage to take place. Hindu astrology, a system that originated in ancient India, was documented by sages in the Vedic scriptures. The origin of arranged marriages in India and its dignified past comes from the amazing specificity of Vedic astrology. So, the evolution of arranged marriages has been a gradual process with its roots in the Vedic period. The period prior to it, i.e., the Indus Valley Civilization has no written scriptures or scripts relating to this period. Hence, there is an extensive need for deciphering the script of the Indus civilization to have an idea about the society and marriage customs of this period to open avenues for further research.
VEDIC PATH:
Vedic path refers to the three stages of a person:
The initial stage, which is Bhramacharya: the study and learning of Vedas and Gayathri Upasana, and worship of Agni through oblations twice a day.
The next stage is the Grihastashrama (getting into marital life) and offering oblations to Agni by performing Agni Upasana, Yagas, etc. along with the life partner which are meant for the evolution of one’s self in the spiritual realm.
The final stage is offering one’s body after death to the Agni that was worshipped.
It should be understood that vanaspratha is the continuation of grihastha stage after discharging the duties and retiring along with the wife and continuing Agni Upasana, penance, and nitya karmas.
To lead a life as prescribed by the Vedas, here is the system to be followed by one and all:
- Initiation into Gayathri Upasana
- Study of the Vedas or understanding the messages given in them.
- Agni Upasana as part of Gayathri Upasana and Vedic study (BRAHMACHARYA).
- Getting into married life and continuing Agni Worship as a couple – Grihastha Dharma.
- Offering one’s body in the fire worshipped by the couple (The concept behind the ritual followed for cremation in the present day)
WHY WE SHOULD MARRY
As saying goes:
“Jisne bhi shadi ke laddu khaye vo bhi pachtaye jisne nahin khaye vo bhi pachtaye”.
Marriage besides holy matrimony is an everlasting union between two people (especially those to whom you do not know earlier). Marriage can be blessed or cursed. Marriage and wedding is not the same. Marriage is the uniting of two people to become one both spiritually and physically. It is commitment between two different natured persons for love and honour of each other till death.
Wedding is a day event, it’s the joining of two people to become one, but after that day it is not going to happen again. It is something happened in a life time.
Marriage is to be appreciated and respected. Most people marry by appearance; he must be tall, dark, and handsome, have beards, have pink lipsete, must have good looks, good figure, and nice set of teeth, have sexy voice, earner, family values, education, background etc.
I am not saying you shouldn’t know what you want, appearance matters, but, character matters most. I would say appearance brings a man but character or manners keeps him cause when you have a reason you love someone (cause of her cute eyes) one day you might look and it’s not there and the love decrease. No matter what, good manner matters.
The success of your marriage depends on the choice you have made with regard to your life partner.
Let your partner or spouse be the one you comfortable with, one you can turn to for help or advice. One that stand by you or safe you from danger.
One who is there to help, support, lift or assist you?
One who counsels you, who encourage and care for you
One that covers your nakedness, flaws, shame, who make you and not mar you
One who brings out the best in you no matter what, makes you smile, joyful even in enduring situations
MARRIAGE IS IMPORTANT AS:
Marriage marks a great beginning
Marriage marks the beginning of the family. It is a life-long commitment that widens your horizons and the purpose of existence on this earth. It gives you an opportunity to be selfless as you will have to now take care of your spouse and children. Marriage is not just a physical union. It is also a spiritual as well as emotional bond. Hence, you will find a kind of fulfillment when you get married.
Promotes oneness
When two people get married, they become one. Marriage is a superior bond than nothing else on the earth. It brings you your life’s partner and a teammate to move together in comradeship facing the challenges, excitements, disappointments, surprises and uncertainties of life. Finally now you have got someone to share your life.
Brings in a higher purpose to your life
Marriage opens up the gates to realizing a higher purpose to your life. You are now enjoined into a life that is tuned to realizing the objectives of each of the family members with you. You work for a larger goal and receive a greater satisfaction. The life seems to be more meaningful after marriage.
The joy of parenting
Parenting is a challenging, exciting and a joyful thing like nothing else. When you produce a child or adopt one, you receive the biggest blessing on the earth you can hope for. Children growing without a father or mother are most likely to be ill-equipped to face the world in the right way. When you have got kids in the family, you have got an opportunity to help a soul understand the world and learn how to live happily and successfully.
BEST REASONS WHY MARRIAGE IS IMPORTANT:
Marriage is a powerful creator and sustainer of human and social capital for adults as well as children, about as important as education when it comes to promoting the health, wealth, and well-being of adults and communities. It is not good for man to be alone— or woman.
WHY MARRIAGE IS GOOD FOR YOU:
IT’S SAFER. Marriage lowers the risk that both men and women will become victims of violence, including domestic violence. Two-thirds of acts of violence against women committed by intimate partners were not committed by husbands, but by boyfriends (whether live-in or not) or former husbands or boyfriends.
IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. Married people live longer and healthier lives. The power of marriage is particularly evident in late middle age. Nine out of ten married guys who are alive at 48 will make it to age 65, compared with just six in ten comparable single guys (controlling for race, education, and income). For women, the protective benefits of marriage are also powerful, though not quite as large. Nine out of ten wives alive at age 48 will live to be senior citizens, compared with just eight out of ten divorced and single women.
IT CAN SAVE YOUR KID’S LIFE. Children lead healthier, longer lives, if, parents get and stay married.
YOU WILL EARN MORE MONEY. Men today tend to think of marriage as a consumption item—a financial burden. But a broad and deep body of scientific literature suggests that for men especially, marriage is a productive institution—as important as education in boosting a man’s earnings.
YOU’LL GET MUCH RICHER. Married people not only make more money, they manage money better and build more wealth together than either would alone.
YOU’LL TAME HIS CHEATIN’ HEART (HERS, TOO). Marriage increases sexual fidelity. Cohabiting men are four times more likely to cheat than husbands, and cohabiting women are eight times more likely to cheat than wives. Marriage is also the only realistic promise of permanence in a romantic relationship.
YOU WON’T GO BONKERS. Marriage is good for your mental health. Married men and women are less depressed, less anxious, and less psychologically distressed than single, divorced, or widowed Americans. By contrast, getting divorced lowers men’s and women’s mental health, increasing depression and hostility, and lowering one’s self-esteem and sense of personal mastery and purpose in life.
IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY. For most people, the joys of the single life and of divorce are overrated. Overall, 40 percent of married people, compared with about a quarter of singles or cohabiters, say they are “very happy” with life in general. Married people are also only about half as likely as singles or cohabiters to say they are unhappy with their lives.
How happy are the divorced? If people divorce in order to be happy, as we are often told, the majority should demand their money back. Just 18 percent of divorced adults say they are “very happy,” and divorced adults are twice as likely as married folk to say they are “not too happy” with life in general. Only a minority of divorcing adults go on to make marriages that are happier than the one they left. “Divorce or be miserable,” certain cultural voices tell us, but, truth be told, “Divorce and be miserable” is at least as likely an outcome.
YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE YOU MORE. Divorce weakens the bonds between parents and children over the long run. Adult children of divorce describe relationships with both their mother and their father less positively, on average, and they are about 40 percent less likely than adults from intact marriages to say they see either parent at least several times a week.
YOU’LL HAVE BETTER SEX, MORE OFTEN. Despite the lurid Sex in the City marketing that promises singles erotic joys untold, both husbands and wives are more likely to report that they have an extremely satisfying sex life than are singles or cohabiters. (Divorced women were the least likely to have a sex life they found extremely satisfying emotionally.) For one thing, married people are more likely to have a sex life. Single men are 20 times more likely and single women ten times more likely, not to have had sex even once in the past year than the married. (Almost a quarter of single guys and 30 percent of single women lead sexless lives.)
REASONS TO NEVER GET MARRIED:
Most people aren’t in a hurry to get married anymore
According to few statistics, back in the early 1980s, the median age for marriage was 25 for men and 22 for women. But in 2011, the median ages for first marriages hit all-time highs of 29 for men and 27 for women. The report credits this change to, among other things, the fact that couples no longer feel the need to be married to become parents and the “competition from other lifestyles,” like living alone or living with partners. So, there’s no need to stress about not getting married — everyone else is staying single too.
Many people feel there aren’t many advantages to being married
In 2010 few survey states that, by and large, single people do not feel married people have many advantages in terms of a “fulfilling sex life, being financially secure, finding happiness and having social status.”
For men, being married could be connected to being overweight
Married men were 25 percent more likely to be overweight than men who were single or in a committed relationship. And according to the study, about 60 percent of married men were overweight compared to about 40 percent of married women.
Marriage can present a slew of financial problems
Laws require those in a marriage to be responsible for their spouse’s debt, and for the elderly, that could mean a variety of expensive medical bills.
Marriage can seem like an outdated institution, and some people just don’t want to fit into that mold
Marriage is a conservative institution that organizes child-rearing and defines commitment, relationship and love.
Getting married can put your friendships at risk
While this probably applies more to folks with mostly single friends, many people sense strains in their friendships after they get married. People tend to lose at least one close friend after getting married, as a husband or wife fills that role. When someone spends every waking hour with their spouse that can lead to neglecting the other people in their life. Which brings us to our next point?
Marriage can lead to the risky habit of relying on one individual for every emotional need
Many married couples make the mistake of turning their spouse into a “Sex and Everything Else Partner.” They look to them for all sources of contentment, like “companionship, intimacy, caring, friendship, advice, the sharing of the tasks and finances of household and family, and just about everything else.” This creates an unrealistic “cultural fantasy” that ultimately results in disappointment and unhappiness.
These days, a happy marriage requires a serious commitment of time and energy that can be hard to maintain
The fact that good marriages require more time and effort than ever is further validated by the differing divorce rates between wealthy couples and their less affluent counterparts. Studies show that lower-income couples get divorced more, and part of the blame lays in those couples’ lack of resources, time and otherwise.
And, as dim as it sounds, plenty of marriages in this country end up in a divorce anyway
Middle-class participants said despite being excited about marriage, they worried about “the social, legal, emotional and economic consequences of divorce.” It seems that the younger you get married, the more likely you are to get a divorce.
It’s called a civil union or a domestic partnership
If you want to form a meaningful (and official) bond with your significant other, but you just don’t like the idea and practice of marriage, you always have the option of entering a civil union or a domestic partnership.
REASONS NOT TO MARRY SOMEONE:
Don’t get married because you are lonely.
Many people find themselves living alone, and eventually get tired of the life of the single person, the bars, the parties, and all the other activities singles indulge in. Living alone is a wonderful time to become a whole person, to get to know yourself and what you like, don’t like, and learn to feel comfortable in your own skin, and satisfied with your own company.
Don’t marry someone to get your friends’ and family’s approval
It is always a nice feeling to make others ecstatic, and we strive to gain the approbation of our friends and family, which isn’t a lamentable thing. Not unless you are with someone you feel no vigorous emotions for, only because your family and friends cerebrate they are such a great guy or gal. You can bask in their approbation only so long, and conclusively, you will require to do Something for yourself, something that makes you blissful inside. Your family And friends should give you their love, support, and approbation because they dote and accept you for who you are, not who you are with.
In the present day society where the people believe in marrying their daughters or even the girls would relish to get married in the society she belongs to but there are many drawbacks, as is most of the cases the compatibility and societal quandaries are there like the case presently in the Bollywood, the people are addicted to falsehood and get into erroneous hands.
Dowry is one of the imprecations of our society and in most of the cases because of authoritative ordinance of dowry, either the girl’s parents or the girl itself trepidations of getting married. There are many other reasons like some people do not believe in getting married. They feel like they do not require the partner’s love or it will not be proved, as thought of and additionally trepidation of being slave in the in-laws house. Though the trust is the main action in marriage, but some people feel that they will not get the trust. Sometimes, the girls do not believe that marriage is an alternative for a good life and dissents with the old cultured society and wants an independent life without any if and buts in their day to day life. Even in some cases, tag of cognomen effect the independence of the girl specially those who want liberation and optate to do whatever they like especially when they are not sure about the person with whom she is going to be wedlock. In marriage, the bride is a centre of attention, which sometimes she does not relish.
As is already been discussed, there are don’ts additionally, which cause lot of stress due to incomplete and incompatibility of each other, consequently, it is one of the other cause not having been married. In some of the cases in their personal or friend circle, they have felt the deplorable feelings for marriage. They are trepidations of having getting the same in her marriage.
It is felt that marriage integrates value to life, but sometimes it is not homogeneous to so. When the girl have optically discerned, their parents or their kenned fighting in or out and one or the other couple not being independent, she is frightened that she do not optate to get married. Few would relish to break the overruled tradition of the man inundating the woman. Since, after marriage the time is devoted towards the other person, who may be boy or girl do not optate to spent or share.
Few people would relish to live a solitary life, so they are trepidations of getting married. Sometimes, due to different maturity levels having different cerebration process, not of compromising nature, not relishing the family or traditions or not believing in desideratum of the other person, people do not get married. In many cases due to job requisites, business or professional exigencies the couples have either to live discretely or does not devote enough time for each other, which ravages the very purport of togetherness, love and affection in marriage and becomes curse for each other.
Despite this, there are reasons for getting married. One of the reasons is that there will be togetherness and there would be a companion with whom one can apportion journey of life. If one feels, marriage is not a compulsion, but a bond for whole life with comity, as a motive and a conscious effort to look into each other’s good or deplorable then it is better to get married.
Another reason for getting married is love and intimacy. Love is the circadian decision to give, accommodate and communicate in the venerable manner and the patience from both the Partners is must, which needs a veracity & independent relationship. The intimacy describes proximity & feeling of warmth. But, if, it is missing then the life becomes hell. Marriage is for one’s support and magnification. Once there is struggle, challenges & differences, the inter personal cognations between the married couple reinforce each other. It is withal one of the biological needs.
The parenthood is additionally one of the reasons for having a marriage. However, the most stable and secure environment is obligatory for magnification of the kids in the mundane family. In Indian society, married men or women get more reverence as well as in their respective families. Despite number of laws having been transmuted, live-in relationship or divorce is still a taboo.
Two adults have the right to live together even if they have not procured marriageable age, the Supreme Court has verbally expressed. In its Judgment, Supreme Court has verbally expressed that if a man and a woman living together without marriage, and then they cannot be construes under offense. Many couples in cities are living together and in most of the cases, their parents are nescient of that. Live-in relationships might be or not be better than marriage, but it gives you a clear perspective about your compatibility with your partner and hence of spending a life with him/her.
REFORMS IN HINDU MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
Sati was prevalent in Archaic India. The British prosper in bringing XVII Aversion of Sati Act which declares sati illicit and penalizable by courts. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and E.V. Ramasamy Periyar paved the way for gregarious reform. In India, the first kineticism of marital rights of women centered on three major quandaries, child marriage, enforced widowhood, and property rights of women. The Dowry Proscription Act was enacted to curb the dowry menace. It applies to all people, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Jews. The law was found to fail to stall this malevolence. Dowry Death was later enacted. Where the death of the woman occurred in unnatural circumstances within 7 years of marriage and it is shown that she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or his relatives in connection with any ordinant dictation for dowry, it would be postulated to be a dowry death, deemed to be caused by the husband or his relatives.
As society has advanced the Hindu Marriage has gone through sundry changes. Even values annexed to it have transmuted tremendously. Individuals now are culling their mates according to their own requisites. Many are not getting into matrimonial coalitions due to some quandaries.
The marriage in India are governed by the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act which regulates the Marriage. The provision of divorce has withal availed many people to emerge from their marriage. Thus, as believed Hindu marriage is no more indissoluble.
Please understand marriage is a personal cull not a matter of opinion for the society, do not hesitate to do something or take any action that would avail you live a better life, despite the fact that there are certain Religious acts which can only be performed by a married couple. Moreover, we have Sanatan culture, which does not sanction to live without marriage and have a live-in relationship like in Europe.