Dowry, a degradation of Vedic practice
Let’s Scrutinize it
Dowry system as we see today is the corrupted version of the Vedic system of gifts which father used to give on his own accord out of love. The bride's side didn’t demand it.
In Hindu societies, marriage is an established custom-designed to make society the most dependable and indivisible unit.
However, it has come under increasing pressure and criticism from many quarters and its very existence is threatened, because of practices associated with it, like dowry.
The practice of dowry in India is a controversial subject
Let us talk about the Hindu marriage system and delve into the topic of dowry in Hindu society for which we are writing this article.
No one doubts that it is a most heinous crime perpetrated by greedy and ignorant people who want to acquire wealth and rich through marrying their sons.
The custom of dowry is prevalent in many parts of India where it is regarded only as a voluntary gift to the bride by the parents, friends, and relatives and there are no strings attached.
In many cases, grooms do not take anything as dowry. Gifts are accepted as a token of love. This was the practice in ancient Vedic culture.
But when rituals are practiced and followed blindly, it results are dangerous and fatal.
The parents of the groom extort money from the parents of the bride as a recompense for marrying their daughter to their son and keep on increasing the demands after the wedding, finally kill the bride for the outstanding amount.
They go unpunished by the administrative, legal and judicial system of the country, this is a product of the overall moral decadence of the Godless society, because of growing materialism, consumerism and lack of spiritual consciousness.
This is an extremely serious matter because we as a community should work among the youngster for eradicating this abominable crime amongst the Hindus, which brings bad name to the faith.
In Hinduism dowry is widespread
In Hinduism, marriage is a very holy event in life. According to the Vedic rites, the groom and the bride are trained to live life afterlife, it is a commitment even after death.
Thus is to be understood that the spiritual significance of the marriage in the Hindu faith is more important.
How the despicable practice of demanding dowry found its way into the pious and solemn custom of a Hindu marriage is extremely puzzling.
To find an objective answer, one must analyze the history of Hindu people in those parts of India where dowry and bride-burning still continue in full force.
Why does the custom degrade?
In this article, we have tried to diagnose the reasons for the degeneration of the Hindu society and its practices due to the historical forces of those areas, and their effects.
One of the effects was the proliferation of child marriage in North India during the medieval period which was very rare in Vedic India.
It became a compulsory practice for the Hindus in North India who lost their independence in the medieval period and could not protect their grown-up daughters.
The only way to save the family honor was to marry off the daughter to someone else’s family who would be responsible for her protection.
Child marriage abounded, and so did the practice of bidding for dowry.
How is the dowry practiced in the present time?
Dowry is a prevalent practice in India’s modern era and in this context, it can be in the form of a payment of cash or gifts from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s family upon marriage.
There are variations on dowry prevalence based on geography and class.
States in the north are more likely to participate in the dowry system among all classes, and dowry is more likely to be in the form of material and movable goods.
In the south, the bride price system is more prevalent and is more often in the form of land, gold, or other inheritance goods.
How and why was the dowry practiced?
Dowry varies by economic strata. Upper-class families are more likely to engage in the dowry system than the lower class.
The dowry in the Vedic period was essentially followed by society to benefit the bride, who was unable to inherit property under Hindu law.
Thus in place of share in property bride’s family provided the groom with dowry which would be registered in the bride’s name, which was equivalent to her share among the total siblings.
This dowry was seen as stridhan also known as woman’s property.
It was a loving exchange of gifts, and also voluntary in practice, willing fully done and there was no compulsion neither it was a mandatory practice.
The poor section of the society never practiced it or gave it according to their status and capacity.
What does scripture say about dowry?
The Manu Smriti sanctioned dowry in Vedic India, but dowry was the more prestigious form associated with the richer class which was again voluntary and was restricted to the poorer class, who were not allowed to give dowry.
Dowry In modern India.
In the modern era, the concept of dowry has degraded and Hindu families no longer practice the traditional Vedic concept of dowry.
It is because with the passage of time, values degraded and gradually dowry became prevalent in its present ugliest form.
In the present time, the practice of dowry requires the bride’s family to transfer goods to the groom’s family in consideration of the marriage.
Since marriages in Hindu society are a time for big celebrations in each family, they tend to be very lavish.
It usually involves considerable expenditure and accompanying wedding presents from relatives of the family.
This is normal expenditure which is a compulsion in the families to show off their wealth, status, etc.
And nowadays a strong attempt is made by the groom’s family to dictate the quantum of each gift along with specific demands for dowry.
In such circumstances, there is an element of exerting coercion on the bride’s family and this is what has come to be recognized as the menace of dowry in today’s times.
Dowry no more refers to the voluntary presents which are made to the bride and the groom; rather it is what is extracted from the bride or her parents.
Learnings
However, it is to be kept in mind that, it is not the Vedic faith, rather the people who are responsible for the widespread practice of this, which is immoral, and must be discussed and debated so that it does not bring bad name, to the faith.
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