Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c7.521

c7.521

Similarly the choosing of husband (svayaṃvara) described in the epics, which is well known specially from the episode of Nala and Damayanti, seems to have been confined among the Kṣatriyas.⁴ The father of a marriageable princess arranges that princes of his own standing should present themselves at the Svayaṃvara of his daughter and in the festive assembly the patimvarā as a sign of her choice puts the garland round the neck of the chosen bridegroom.¹ This custom, seemingly worthy of an age of romance and courtesy to women, which moreover is mentioned already in the RV,² is by no means irreconcilable with the practice of abducting women, as is shown in the case of Duryodhana who being rejected in the choice of husband carries off the princess by force.³ Arjuna too carries off Subhadrā at the instigation of her own brother Kṛṣṇa who explains to him that although the Svayaṃvara alone is customary with the Kṣatriyas it is also allowed them to take possession of women by force and that it can hardly be expected that his sister would be able to express herself at the Svayaṃvara.⁴ The Svayaṃvara has always been a favourite theme eagerly utilised by the poets, cf. Raghuv. 6, Vikramāṅkad. 7-9, etc. The Svayaṃvara sung by Bilhaṇa falls in the 11. century, and that known from the story of Pṛthvirāj of Delhi falls in the 12. century,⁵ and according to Tod, Svayaṃvaras took place occasionally among the Rajputs even to very recent times. The trial of strength or wit at which the bride is given away to the victor, is an interesting and perhaps an older⁶ variety of the Svayaṃvara. In this way in the Mah. Arjuna gets Draupadī, in the Rām. Rāma gets Sītā and other instances are found in the Purāṇas and in the marriage of the Buddha.