Markandeya Purana is a Hindu scripture. One of the eighteen classic puranas, a sectarian compendium of epic tales and holy knowledge that is one of Hinduism's most significant texts.
Markandeya is claimed to have been an old sage, yet he had
no special relationship with any god.
In this regard, the Markandeya Purana differs from the
majority of others, which are clearly sectarian in nature.
The Devimahatmya, one of the purana's subsections, is
well-known.
The Devimahatmya is the oldest and most significant literary
source for Goddess mythology, describing the ulti mate force underlying all
things as feminine.
Scholars argue that, although this book is the first to
mention this religious view, it must have existed before since it is completely
formed in this text.
Eight Classical Forms of Marriage Brahma, Daiva, Arsha,
Prajapatya, Asura, Gandharva, Rakshasa, and Paishacha are the eight types of
marriage recognized in Dharma literature (texts providing principles for proper
human conduct and ideal social life).
The first four applications were accepted (prashasta).
The bride's father was responsible for arranging the
marriage in each case: in the Brahma form, he gave his daughter as a gift with
no conditions; in the Daiva form, she was given as a sacrificial fee; in the
Arsha form, in exchange for a pair of cattle for sacrifice; and in the
Prajapatya form, with the condition that the husband and wife perform their
duties together.
The other four types of marriage were seen to be morally
unacceptable (aprashasta).
The bride was traded for money in the Asura form, and the
bride and groom plighted their troth by mutual consent—that is, by sensuous
sensual sexual intercourse—were permitted in the Gandharva form.
The last two versions were completely prohibited: Rakshasa,
in which the bride was forcefully kidnapped, and Paishacha, in which a male
took sexual advantage of an insentient woman—due to intoxication, profound
slumber, or drugging.
It's worth noting that all of these types were recognized legal
marriages, including the two that were prohibited.
The goal of legalizing such unlawful weddings was to provide
the lady the legal status of a wife, not to promote such behavior.
Except for the Brahma marriage, which has the greatest
prestige, and the Asura marriage, most of these types of marriage are no longer
performed in modern times.
See Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans. ), A History of
Dharmasastra, 1968, and Raj Bali Pandey, Hindu Samskaras, 1969, for further
details.
They are still the greatest sources on traditional Hindu
religious practices, notwithstanding their antiquity.
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