Asura marriage

Asura marriage is one of the eight classical forms of Hindu matrimony named in the Manusmriti, describing a union in which the groom obtains a bride by voluntarily giving wealth to her and her relatives, in effect a form of bride purchase rather than a match freely arranged around consent or compatibility. Because the arrangement depends on the groom's financial means rather than his character or learning, Hindu legal and ethical texts consistently condemn the practice: the Manusmriti brands it forbidden and describes it as a grave sin, warning that it let wealthy but unsuitable men accumulate multiple wives while excluding capable men of modest means, and left brides open to being married off mainly for their families' financial benefit. The prohibition against Asura marriage extends beyond Hinduism into Buddhist and Jain ethical teaching as well, making it one of the few marriage forms in the classical eightfold scheme condemned across all three major religious traditions of the Indian subcontinent.