Brahma Marriage

Brahma marriage is regarded as the purest form of marriage in Hindu religion. As per the traditions of this marriage, the father gives his daughter to a man of learning and good character. The daughter is richly dressed and adorned with ornaments and is offered as a kind of gift, also referred as `danam` to a man having good character and high learning, also known as `srutisilavan`. It is considered to be the most honourable type of marriage according to the Smritis. The existence of Brahma marriage can be traced back to the Vedic era.

Eligibility of Brahma Marriage
A Brahma marriage is a type of Indian marriage where a boy is able to get married once he has completed his student hood, or Brahmacharya. Brahma marriage has the most supreme position of the eight types of marriages. In ancient days, there prevailed gurukul system, where the boy goes to live with his guru to acquire knowledge and expertise. This stage is Brahmacharya or student-hood for the boy and he would be eligible to get married only once he completes his studies.

Arrangement of Brahma Marriage
Once the boy is ready to get married after acquiring all the expertise required his parents would approach the family of a matching and eligible girl. 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 is arranged.

Rituals of Brahma Marriage
The girl`s family did not have to give any dowry to the boy`s family. There was the ritual of kanyadaan which symbolizes that the father gifts 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 dharmashastras.

This marriage is performed even before the girl has attained her puberty. The mantras are chanted while performing the marriage, which are addressed by the groom to the bride who comes to him. It was understood that a girl`s marriage, which has same significance for her that the upanayana has for a boy, must be performed when she is seven years old (or eight years from conception).