Per Hindu texts a girl should be married before she attains puberty. Dharmasutras (Gautama Baudhayana Vasishtha), Mahabharata, Dharmashastras (Manu, Parasara etc) & Puranas (Vishnu, Padma etc) state it. A girl should be married to man thrice her age. Ideally a "nagnika": 8-yr-old
Dharma Sutras, the oldest Hindu dharma texts: Let a girl be married to a man when she is *still roaming around naked* ("nagnika"). Gautama even legitimizes 'stealing' (by the father) for the purpose of such a marriage.
β¬οΈSource: Dharmasutras β The Law Codes of Ancient India
β¬οΈSource: Dharmasutras β The Law Codes of Ancient India
Manusmriti: A man of 24 or 30 years of age should wed a girl of 8 or 12 years of age, respectively; Mahabharata: A man of 21 or 30 years of age should wed a girl of 7 or 10 years of age, respectively.
You might've heard the saying about Woman being dependent on Father, then Husband, then Son (in old age). This is not just from Manu Smriti. This a direct quote from the Dharmasutras, the oldest Hindu dharma texts: *Women cannot, & should not, act independent of men in her life*:
Vivekananda said "[don't blame Mohammedans for our evils]... just read the Grihya-Sutras [..] There it is expressly stated that a girl must be married before attaining puberty [..] All the Brahmanas mention them, all the commentators admit them to be true. How can you deny them?"
@143prabakaran @raghuynt FWIW, a good idea to read Vivekananda, too. He outraged about discrimination he got from Brahmins. Admitted there's beef eating etc in Vedas. And child marriages etc sanctioned in the literature. A private letter to Rakhal, a fellow disciple of Ramakrishna:
@143prabakaran @raghuynt Vivekananda outraged about Untouchability (which is good), but then the good Swami rationalized the other practices of his time, the caste system. He was against inter-caste marriages and widow remarriages:
belurmath.org
belurmath.org
@143prabakaran @raghuynt Vivekananda on Hinduism and the Caste system:
How Vivekananda's views Evolved, or rather, Devolved: (1895) In a Letter to a fellow disciple of Ramakrishna, he criticized child marriages in Hindu scriptures; (1990) In a Lecture in California, he defends the widespread practice of child marriages and the strict caste system:
@143prabakaran @raghuynt "I do not read much. But answers to your questions are there with Vivekananda" ~ @raghuynt
Vivekananda:
Vivekananda:
Bonded Labour (a form of slavery) in Ancient India: Dharmasutra of Apastamba: In times of adversity, a Brahmin may tradeβan exclusive role of Vaishyas in normal timesβin permitted goods. He is forbidden to trade in human beings, but he may barter human beings for human beings.
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