Marriage precedes the other calls of life.
- The giving in marriage of a maiden well-adorned is called Brahma marriage.
- The joint-performance of sacred duties by a man and a woman is known as Prājāpatya marriage.
- The giving in marriage of a maiden for a couple of cows is called Arśa marriage.
- The giving in marriage of a maiden to an officiating priest in a sacrifice is called Daiva marriage.
- The voluntary union of a maiden with her lover is called Gandharva marriage.
- Giving a maiden after receiving plenty of wealth is termed Asura marriage.
- The abduction of a maiden is called Rākṣasa marriage.
- The abduction of a maiden while she is asleep and in intoxication is called Paiśāca marraige.
Of these, the first four are ancestral customs of old and are valid on their being approved of by the father.
The rest (Arśa, Asura) are to be sanctioned by both the father and the mother, for:
- It is they that receive the price paid by the bridegroom for their daughter.
- In case of the absence by death of either the father or the mother, the survivor will receive the price.
- If both of them are dead, the maiden herself shall receive it.
Any kind of marriage is approvable if it pleases all those who are concerned in it.
—Kautilya, in the Arthaśāstra, 3.2:1-13
