Journal of the Benares Hindu University

The desire for a son the protection of wife and children the need of running a home and the ideal of domestic felicity are duly reflectein the marriage ceremonies.19 Now we have to consider the evolution of marriage in ancient periods of Indian History though the marriage cermonies of the Hindus presuppose a monogamous Evolution of union. [...] Kapiva the foster father of gakuntala says in the Mahabliarata 49 the marriage of a desiring woman with a desiring man though without religious ceremonies is the best marriage." But in the opinion of the majority of law works it was not regarded so ; on the other hand they discouraged it on religious and moral grounds.50 It was inferior to the first five forms of marriage because it was perfor [...] In course of time the sale of girls began to savour too much of worldliness with the growing conception of the relgious character of marriage where the bride was regarded a meritorious gift by the father to the bridegroom. [...] The similar custom of dowry to be offered by the father of the bride to the bridegroom is not to be found in ancient literature of the Hindus. [...] The father of the boy thinks that the cost of education should be shared by the father of the girl who reaps all the advantages of his son's education.