Originally posted by: BossLady
Mera answer
I believe that it's one of the most emotional moment in any marriage-where the father gives, "the apple of his eye",to another man.For every father,no man is ever good enough for his daughter bcoz of the special place his daughter has in his life.This ritual is ripe with deep religious symbolisms.
Even Jews and Xtians give away their daughter in marriage as they walk down the aisle & hand over their daughter's hand to the groom.But,I didn't see any question being raised here by a group of woke intellectuals as is the case with the Hindu traditions.
Kanyadaan is not transfer of possessed thinking daughter as chattel.Hindus consider daughters the reason for progress,progenitor,the preserver of the Kula-the embodiment of laxmi.Rigveda says that,the groom is the embodiment of Vishnu,in accepting the union & promises not to cross teh boundaries of Dharma,Artha & Kama,parents take pride in Kanyadaan,with the blessing साम्राज्ञनी भवः !( Be queenly)
Who uses such exalted status for a mere object that was given away.
Daan is not donation or charity.It simply means giving as a duty.In real sense,kanyadaan is passing the rituals,sanskara,the traditions & all the learning that she receives from her parents' house to her-in-laws & girl taking husband's surname(gotra) & leaving father's.
Their is a shloka in Rigveda,which holds this as Mahadaan among all and is every parents' dream to do this Mahadaan.It is said that,this is a way in which a daughter helps her parents' to free them from the karmabandhan & to remove all the sins not only of this birth but also of past lives & are said to attain Moksha.
In reality, no other marriage ceremony in the world honors & reveres the bride as completely as the Hindu Marriage.
To Hindus, Vivaha is not a contract unlike other communities,It is a sacred process to endow the couple with abilities to refine their moral & spiritual traits as householders (Grihastha). It transforms lower desires into higher spiritual goals to attain Moksha together. The bride is not just respected but worshipped as sacred illumined energy throughout the entire ceremony. No other tradition comes close to giving women such prominence & reverence.
Having said this,In today's India(barring some weaker sections) where women are working & educated, divorce is normalised,live-inns are common & single parenting is frequent,women are educated, self-sufficient, financially independent.If a girl who finds herself out of her traditional values,who sees herself at par with males,then she has every right to catechize these rituals (Constructive Criticism) but spewing venom against them.OTOH, those who want to adhere to these rituals with full faith & reason can do so without being mocked and judged.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
