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SOME MODERN CONCEPTS OF MARRIAGE IN THE LIGHT OF THE SMRTI LITERATURE
Sunanda Y Shastri
There are many sources like epics, classical Sanskrit literature, sutras, smrtis philosophical works, different commentaries on smrtis and many other texts t understand, contemporary society Among these sources smrtis are importan sources to understand the social practices, laws and rules and politics Smrti. are important because, they are treatises of rules about conduct, social custom and usages, legal matters and family life They also reflect the current practice: in contemporary society There were, it is said, more than one hundred smrtis out of which Mänavadharmafästra (or Manusmrti) is the oldest, most importanı and exhaustive source Some other important smrtis are-Visnusmrti, Yajnavalkyasmrti, Näradasmrti, Brhaspati etc Manusmrti is said to have been composed probably between 200 B C-200 A D Smrtis seem to have formed the minutest rules and laws regarding individual's life, and hence marriage is an important subject discussed in the smrtis at length
The institution of marnage must have come into existence in very remote past Even the extant Vedic texts show that the institution of marriage was fully developed, and that the Vedic society was not a promiscuous one Marriage was regarded as but highly necessary to qualify for the performance of religious nites and begetting children' Marnage was regarded as religious and social duty Marriage ntuals were already developed and were regularly practiced Girls were married at quite a mature age2 The very notion of marriage implies many other aspects such as, legality, children and their nights, extra mantal relations, monogamy, polygamy, poliandry, levirate (nuyoga), sonorate (husband of a barren woman marrying her sister for progeny and some of those children are counted as of the barren wife), social status, inheritance, divorce, nullification of marnage, remarriage and widow-marriage etc Since marnage was regarded as social institution, the various aspects naturally demanded consideration as they were intimately interconnected with marriage Mammage being the union of two persons of opposite sex coming from two different surroundings, it became social event of fargoing consequences
The ancient Indian law-makers looked upon marriage as more of a duty than
