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SOCIAL CONDITIONS
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Types of Marriages :-It has been already stated that parents coatracted the marries of their children. Whenever the father offered his daughter to a suitable candidate, it fell under the 'prājāpatya' type of marriage. The betrothal of Sītā with Rāma (27. 41), the marriage of Añjanā with Pavanañjaya (15. 38), that of Mandodari with Rāvana (8. 18) and Kekasi's with Ratnāšrava (7. 72) fall under this group. Marriage alliances made on political considerations can also be put under this head. This type of marriage was widely prevalent in those days.
There were cases when parents were not consulted and on account of mutual love, the concerned candidates formed their own. wedlocks. This type of mrrriage is termed as Gandharval. The wedlocks of Rāvana and many Vidyadhara girls (8.38), Vanara Hanu and Rākşasi Laikāsundari (52.2) and Vidyadhara Srikantha and Padma(6.9) are the instances among the non-Aryans. This form of marriage was prevalent among the Aryans also. The unions of (Brahmin) Airakucchi with the daughter of his teacher (25.22)and that of Purohita Pingala with the princcess of krapura (26.8) come under this type. Rāma and Laksmana also performed love marriages.2 Lakşmaņa performed love wedlocks with princesses Kalyāṇamālā (34.3; 77.48) and Vanamālā (Ch. 36). Padmarāgā, out of many portraits, selected that of Hanumat. Her father Sugriva invited Hanu and married her to him (19.40). This is also a Gandharva-vivāha according to the definition "the father of the girl without consulting his own wishes gives away his daughter to a person whom the daughter likes and who reciprocates her sentiments” given in the Mahābhārata.3 Vanamala and Kalyānamālā were married by their fathers in accodance with their wishes, hence their marriages can be assigned to this class.
There were occasions when girls were forcibly carried away and married. This type of marriage is termed as Raksasavivāha. Rāvana married many girls seizing them by force (akkamiya vikkamenaṁ 9.51). His sister was kidnapped and married by Kharadūşana (9.12). This type of marriage was largely prevalent among the Rākşasas. The Aryans are also found to be following this practice. Brahmin Srivardhita
1. The Kāmsūtra speaks very highly of this type of marriage in which the
basis is mutual love which is the correct foundation and goal of marriage
(3. 5. 29-39). 2. Manu regards this type of marriage legal in the case of Ksatriyas (3,26). 3. MB (Adiparva), 44.10- Vide Hindu Social Organisation, p. 178, by P. N.
Prabhu (1954).
