Prajapatya Marriage

One of the eight ways to perform a marriage recognized in the dharma literature, the treatises on religious duty. In
Hindu mythology Prajapati was the
name of the creator, and this name suggests that the purpose of this marriage
was for people to fulfill their duties to
the ancestors by procreating. A
Prajapatya marriage takes place when a
father gives away his daughter to a man
with the condition that they will perform their civic and religious duties
together. This was one of the four
approved (prashasta) forms of marriage, because it was arranged by the
girl’s father. However, it was considered
less commendable than the other
approved forms, because the girl was
given in marriage with conditions. In
Indian culture, the best way to give a
daughter is to impose no conditions. See
also marriage, eight classical forms.