Shloka 24

पुंसां क्रिया-विभागः, संस्काराः, नामकरणम्, विवाहविधानम्

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मो दैवस् तथैवार्षः प्राजापत्यस् तथासुरः गान्धर्वराक्षसौ चान्यौ पैशाचश् चाष्टमो ऽधमः

Transliteration

brāhmo daivas tathaivārṣaḥ prājāpatyas tathāsuraḥ gāndharvarākṣasau cānyau paiśācaś cāṣṭamo 'dhamaḥ

Translation

The eight forms of marriage are declared: Brāhma, Daiva, Ārṣa, Prājāpatya, and Asura; also Gāndharva and Rākṣasa; while the eighth, Paiśāca, is the lowest and most reprehensible.

Word by Word

• brāhmaḥ: the Brāhma (marriage type)
• brāhmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विवाह-प्रकार-नाम

• daivaḥ: the Daiva (type)
• daivaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विवाह-प्रकार-नाम

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (thus/so)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (indeed/just)

• ārṣaḥ: the Ārṣa (type)
• ārṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विवाह-प्रकार-नाम

• prājāpatyaḥ: the Prājāpatya (type)
• prājāpatyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prājāpatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विवाह-प्रकार-नाम

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय

• āsuraḥ: the Āsura (type)
• āsuraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विवाह-प्रकार-नाम

• gāndharva-rākṣasau: the Gāndharva and Rākṣasa (types)
• gāndharva-rākṣasau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāndharva (प्रातिपदिक) + rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (गान्धर्वश्च राक्षसश्च)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• anyau: the other two
• anyau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; विशेषणं (the other two)

• paiśācaḥ: the Paiśāca (type)
• paiśācaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paiśāca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विवाह-प्रकार-नाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• aṣṭamaḥ: the eighth
• aṣṭamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम् (eighth)

• adhamaḥ: the lowest
• adhamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणं ‘aṣṭamaḥ’ (lowest)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Classification of the eight vivāha forms and their relative dharmic valuation

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Human relationships are to be structured by dharma, distinguishing praiseworthy and blameworthy modes of marriage.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Evaluate social customs by ethical impact—consent, dignity, and responsibility—rather than mere convention.

Vishishtadvaita: Social dharma is not independent of the Divine; it is a mode of serving Nārāyaṇa through protecting beings (jīvas) who are His body (śarīra-bhāva).

Characters & Entities

• Sage Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Brāhma (marriage type)
• Daiva (marriage type)
• Ārṣa (marriage type)
• Prājāpatya (marriage type)
• Āsura (marriage type)
• Gāndharva (marriage type)
• Rākṣasa (marriage type)
• Paiśāca (marriage type)

FAQs

What is the significance of the eight forms of marriage in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse preserves a dharma-classification that ranks marriage forms by consent, ritual propriety, and ethical conduct—showing how social order supports the cosmic order upheld under Vishnu’s sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the hierarchy among these marriage forms?

Parāśara lists the recognized types and explicitly marks the Paiśāca as the eighth and the lowest, indicating a moral gradation where coercion or deception is treated as adharmic.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even in social-ethical topics, the Purana’s framework is that dharma is part of the sustaining principle of reality—ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the supreme preserver of order.