| Marriage In Hinduism |
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A Hindu marriage joins two individuals for life, so that they can pursue Dharma , artha (possessions) and kama (physical desires) together. It also joins two families. ARRANGING THE MARRIAGE Traditionally, Hindu parents look for a prospective match for their son/daughter from their own community also known as ''arranged'' marriage. Elders in the family and parents seek the prospective match through word of mouth within the community. They then use the ''jathakam'' (astrological chart at the time of birth) of the son/daughter to match with the help of a priest. Parents also take advice from the brahmin called 'panthulu' in Telugu who has details of many people looking to get married. ''Jathakam'' is drawn based on the placement of the stars and planets at the time of birth. The maximum points for any match can be 36 and the minimum points for matching is 18. Any match with points under 18 is not considered as an auspicious match for a harmonial relationship. If the astrological chart of the two individuals (male and female) achieve the required threshold in points then further talks are considered for prospective marriage. Also the man and woman are given chance to talk and understand each other in the duration anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour. Once there is an agreement then an auspicious time is chosen for the wedding to take place. THE WEDDING Families spend a lot of money (around a few million rupees) for the wedding ceremony of their children even to the extent of running in to debts. All the relatives and friends are invited to the ceremony, with the guest list commonly starting at 500 people. A live instrumental band is played in some parts whereas some marriages have baratis (the bridegroom's family) dancing to music just before coming to the wedding venue. Vedic rituals are performed and the family and friends then bless the couple. Food is served to all the invitees with lots of delicacies. The wedding celebrations can take up to one week depending on the practice in that different parts of India. MODERNITY Due to the cosmopolitan life there have been lot of "love marriages" which are becoming an accepted norm. Love marriage differs from an "arranged marriage" in that the couple, rather than the parents, choose their own partner. In practice arranged marriages usually involve the consent of the boy and the girl. Love marriages usually involve consent (sometimes grudging) of the parents. |
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