Gandharva Vivaha is one of the eight forms of marriage
accepted by Hindu sociological texts. As per Gandharva Vivaha, the mutual love
and consent of the male and female are the only condition required to conduct
marriage. The marriage takes its name from Gandharvas – demigods in Hinduism.
One of the qualities of Gandharvas was that they can remain
invisible to people but at the same time visible to those whom they liked. Gandharva
Vivaha thus means a marriage that remains secret unless it is disclosed by the
parties concerned.
Gandharva Vivaha only needs the permission of the boy and
the girl. It can be performed even without any marriage ceremonies.
Asvalayana Grahyasutra states that Gandharva Vivaha falls
under the category of Adharmya Vivaha as it does not help the ancestors of the
bride and the groom to attain Moksha.
Gandharva Vivaha is based on the faith that the bride and
the groom have on each other. In many cases Gandharva Vivaha is the result of
strong physical attraction.
The most famous Gandharva Vivaha is that of
Dushyanta and Shakuntala.