Controversy about Age of Marriage

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Controversy about Age of Marriage

(HinduDharma: Marriage)

 

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At the turn of the century, extremely influential people, among Hindus

themselves, demanded the abolition of child marriage and advocated

that girls ought to be married only after they attain puberty. They held

meetings and passed resolutions against child marriages. Not that they

were wanting in faith in the Vedas, most of them; indeed they claimed

that their view had support in the scriptures themselves. Among them

were distinguished men like M. Rangacaryar, Sivaswami Ayyar,

Sundaramayyar and Krsnasvami Ayyar. Then there was the Rt Hon'ble

Srinivasa Sastri who was particularly vehement in his criticism of the

system of child marriage.

 

Vaisnavas and Smartas learned in the sastras held meeting at

Kancipuram and Tiruvaiyuaru respectively and put forward the view that,

according to the Vedas, girls in the past were married after they had

attained puberty. They found an explanation for the origin of the custom

of child marriages. Their view was this : After the advent of Islam in

India, Hindu girls were abducted and dishonoured in large numbers.

Girls already married were spared, they claimed. That is how the now

custom of child marriage came into practise. The reformers now argued

that we must go back to what they thought was the original Vedic

practice and put an end to the uncivilized custom of pre-puberty

marriages.

 

They cited their own evidence from the sastras in support of their view.

One piece of evidence they presented was drawn from the Vedas

themselves, that is the mantras chanted during the marriage rite. The

other was from the Manusmriti which is respected by all as the foremost

among the dharmasastras.

 

What do the marriage mantras say? Before answering the question I

must tell you another matter. Each part of our body has a deity

associated with it. ("adhidevata" or tutelary deity). The sun god with the

eye, Indra with the hand and so on - thus there are divine forces

inwardly associated with us. Apart from this, during different stages of

our life various deities hold sway over us. Thus, a girl is under the sway

of Soma (the moon god) from birth until the time she is old enough to

wear clothes herself. (The dhoti or vesti that men wear is

called "soman". ) Then, until the girl has her menarche, she is under a

gandharva. Thereafter, for three years, she is under Agni. When she is

under the moon god as a little child she is cool like moonlight.

Gandharvas are playful and beautiful, so when a girl is under the

gandharva she is particularly attractive. Under Agni she has the fire that

kindle kama. This is a worldly interpretation of how certain deities have

hold over a girl. But let that be.

 

What is the meaning of the Vedic mantras quoted by the reformers in

support of their view? The mantras are chanted by the groom addressing

the bride: "At first Soma had hold on you; then the gandharva became

your guardian; thirdly Agni became your master. I, as a human being,

have come as the fourth to hold sway over you. Soma passed you on to

the gandharva and the gandharva to Agni. Agni has now given you over

to me."

 

Are we not to construe from the Vedic mantras, which are chanted at

the marriage ceremony, that at the time of the wedding the girl has

already had her menarche, three years after being under the

guardianship of Agni? The reformers maintain that their argument

against child marriage is not contrary to the sastras. The marriage

custom, according to them, changed after the Muslim invasion and they

want the original practice restored. No sanatani, they argue, can cite

any authority better than the Vedas.

 

The reformers also quote a stanza form the Manusmriti in support of

their argument :

 

Trini varsanyudikseta kumari rtumati sati

 

Urdhavam tu kaladetasmadvindeta sadrsam patim

 

The sloka means: "A girl who has come of age must wait for three years

for a groom to come seeking her hand. If no such groom turns up, she

may herself go looking for a groom." Here too it is post-puberty marriage

that is indicated. Not only that. Manu's code of conduct, it is argued,

is "modern" in that it permits a girl to look for a husband herself without

any need for her elders to do so. After Manu, the reformers contend, the

orthodox Vedic scholars changed everything and made the marriage

custom barbarous.

 

"In the light of these Vedic mantras and the dharmasastra quoted, are

not the reformers right? What is your answer, Svamiji?" I will give my

answer.

http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part18/chap4.htm