Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v1.c5.269

v1.c5.269

Yet this very independence of the girl is of the essence of the Gandharva marriage, which is also part of the orthodox system. It is likewise only a concern of the warrior, as we have already seen (i, 102.16; xiii, 44.5 f.). And for him it is even the best of the forms, as Dushyanta declares (i, 73.4), who, it is true, is in love, and bent on his purpose—to ensnare the maiden. Indeed, in i, 172.19 it is called the best of any forms, although here again it is a man fired with passion that is speaking to his adored one, even if it is not with so great success as Dushyanta.¹ This king’s Gandharva marriage with Çakuntalā, which is well-known especially through Kālidāsa’s drama, is a celebrated example (i, 68 ff.).