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According to Apastamba Grhyasutra, an ancient Hindu literature, Gandharva marriage is a method of marriage where the woman chooses her own husband. They meet each other of their own accord, consent to live together, and their relationship is consummated in copulation born of passion.
A Gandharva marriage is one of the eight classical types of Hindu marriage. This ancient marriage tradition from the Indian subcontinent was based on mutual attraction between two people, with no rituals, witnesses or family participation. The marriage of Dushyanta and Shakuntala was a historically celebrated example of this class of marriage. It is often considered the best type of marriage according to Hindu Shastras.
Gandharva marriage is a method of marriage where the woman chooses her own husband. They meet each other of their own accord, consent to live together, and their relationship is consummated in copulation born of passion. This form of marriage did not require consent of parents or anyone else. According to Vedic texts, this is one of earliest and common forms of marriage in Rig Vedic times.
In Rig vedic opinions and classical literature, the commonly described marriage method was Gandharva, where the bride and the groom had met each other in their ordinary village life, or in various other places such as regional festivals and fairs, begun to enjoy each other's company, and decided to be together. This free choice and mutual attraction were generally approved by their kinsmen. A passage in the Atharvaveda suggests that parents usually left the daughter free in selection of her lover and directly encouraged her in being forward in love-affairs. The mother of the girl thought of the time when the daughter's developed youth that she would win a husband for herself, it was a smooth and happy sort of affair with nothing scandalous and unnatural about it.
Gandharva marriage over time became controversial, disputed and debated. Majority of ancient scholars discouraged it on religious and moral grounds. One argument found in the classical literature is that Gandharva marriage ignores the sacred rituals and vows the groom and bride must make to each other. Such a marriage, argued these ancient vedic scholars, may or may not be lasting since it didn't involve Agni. Over time, Gandharva marriages were either opposed or alternatively done with the use of Agni to ensure the longevity of the marriage through vows.
Manu argued that Gandharva marriage is the most suitable form of marriage, and very rarely not; he goes on to state that Gandharva marriage is best suited for males who are priests, warriors, serving in the military, administrators, nobility and rulers. Baudhayana claims that this is the best type of marriage as it is based on love and free will. Narada, yet another ancient scholar who wrote Nāradasmṛti sometime between 100 BC and 400 AD, suggests Gandharva marriage is best for everyone including the Brahmins, calling it sadharna; Narada claims the only methods of marriage that are wrong are those that are based on abduction, forced, violence, fraud or purchase. It also claims if a woman is forced against her will to marry or is prevented from marrying the one she chooses, her curse has a more sinful effect than Gohatya and will destroy the oppressor's ability to attain Moksha.
Gandharva form of marriage should not be regarded as concubinage or quasi-marital union, more so in the context of the modern Society and in the background of the forward thinking of the present law givers. The possibility of legal validity of this form of marriage in the whole of India in near future even without being backed by custom, is too notorious to be ignored. In a sense, Gandharva form of marriage is trying to come back very fast (in India), pushing parental domination to the background.
Heaven's Child is a good place to find info about Gandharva Vivaha And Astrology. Our astrology website has a lot of Gandharva Vivaha And Astrology information.
Indian marriages have always had a wide range of classifications on the basis of religious beliefs, community and even geographical conditions. Talking about ancient Indian marriages, there were eight kinds of Hindu marriages as per the Vedic beliefs namely: Brahma marriage, Daiva Marriage, Arya marriage, Prajapatya, Gandharva, Asura, Rakshasa and Paisacha marriage. So how is a Gandharva marriage different from any other marriage? Let's take you down the history lane and introduce you to this ancient Hindu marriage ritual and how it's done.
A Gandharva marriage is purely based on love and passion. During the Rig Vedic times, this was one of the most popular forms of marriage in which mutual consent and freedom of choice were of utmost importance. According to the Gandharva form of marriage, the boy and the girl can start living together once they find each other suitable without the need of anyone else's consent, which also included their parents. The one and only criterion for carrying out this marriage was the couple's likeness for each other.
Apart from the mutual consent of the bride and the groom, the rules of a Gandharva marriage are pretty simple.
Around 16th century, the practice of Gandharva marriage began to drop. More early marriages and child marriages started to take place and hence the girl (or boy) was in no position to have consent. Among several reasons for the downturn of Gandharva wedding was, some section of the society argued rituals and customs are essential for a legitimate accomplishment of a marriage ceremony. Also, with more number of Gandharva weddings, wedding pandits were going out of work and hence becoming poor. And eventually, marriages under Gandharva belief were frowned upon, unacceptable in the society and abolished.
With the onset of modernisation and educational advancement, a fresh version of Gandharva marriage was born- Love Marriage! And like every other trend, Gandharva trend was back in fashion! Bride and groom were once again choosing their own partners on the basis of their mutual attraction for each other. Although, there were still many hurdles and protests in terms of religious and caste differences between the two families, the 'freedom to choose' had already re-emerged in Modern India.
Not by the exact definition perhaps, but some versions of a Gandharva marriage are definitely practised and followed in many parts and quite popular among millennial couples. For example, as per Coorgi wedding traditions, one of the south Indian weddings, there is no priest or chanting of mantras involved. The whole wedding is carried out with just the blessings of the family and friends and the couple takes vows to love each other forever. Many couples are opting for live-in relationships which practically is based on Gandharva traditions where both the partners live with each other like married couples, without the need anyone else's consent.
The real meaning of marriage finally comes down to the point on how compatible the couple is amongst each other. Whether you go for a Gandharva marriage with nothing but rose garlands and honest vows of loving and taking care of each other for life, or court registry marriage or a full-blown traditional Hindu wedding with all the elaborate ceremonies...the bottom line remains, being true to each other. It's absolutely your decision on how you want to take those vows. But whichever route you choose, it's important that you mean every word. And if you're the kind of couple who believes in "less is more" motto, then Gandharva Vivah might just be your thing. Just back it up with a marriage registration to legalise your wedding.
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