Types of Hindu Marriages

According to Manusmriti or laws of Manu there are eight different types of Hindu marriages. They were as follows:

* Brahma marriage
* Daiva Marriage
* Arsha Marriage
* Prajapatya Marriage
* Gandharva Marriage
* Asura Marriage
* Rakshasa Marriage
* Paishacha Marriage

According to the historians these eight different types of marriages prevailed in ancient India. Among the eight types all didn't have religious sanction. The last four were not religiously defined it were condemned.

In Brahma marriage once the boy completes his Brahmacharya (studenthood), he is eligible to get married. His parents then approaches the parents or guardian of a girl belonging to a good family and ask them for the hand of their daughter for their son. The father of the girl also carefully chooses the bridegroom who is well versed in Vedas and of a noble character. This is how a Brahma marriage was arranged. There was no system of dowry. So the girl's family didn't have to give any dowry to the boy's family. There was the ritual of kanyadaan where the father uses to gift his daughter to the boy. In this system of marriage no commercial transaction is done. Among the eight types this is regarded as the highest type of marriage by the dharmasastras.

In case of Daiva marriage the girl is married to a priest (rtvik) during a sacrifice. In this type of marriage the girl's family wait for a reasonable period for a suitable man for their daughter but when nobody turns up they go looking for a groom in such places where a sacrifice is being conducted. Here the girl is groomed with ornaments and married to a priest. According to the sastras Daiva marriage is considered inferior to Brahma marriage because it is considered degrading for the womanhood to look for groom. It is only the groom's family that will seek bride for their son than only womanhood is elevated.