Child Marriage in The Vedas

Ancient Hindu scriptures openly endorse child marriage, prescribing that girls should be married before puberty, sometimes as young as 6-8 years old. The Vedas, Puranas, Manusmriti, and even the Ramayana and Mahabharata contain verses that encourage or describe such practices. These teachings later shaped Hindu society, where child marriage became a widespread tradition. Historical data also shows that the majority of child marriages in India were among Hindus, reflecting how deeply these scriptural rules influenced culture and practice.

📖Gautama Dharmasutra 18: 21-22
He who neglects the marriage of girls before her menstruation commits sin.

Reference: Gautama Dharmasutra 18: 21-22

📖Padma Purana Section 6 – Uttara-Khaṇḍa 2-15
A man should marry his daughter as long as she has not attained puberty. Wise men recommend a girl’s marriage when she is eight years old.

Reference: Padma Purana Section 6 – Uttara-Khaṇḍa 2-15

📖Skanda Purana 2:30-8-9
The bow of Īśvara that was kept in the abode of Janaka, was broken. In his fifteenth year, O king, Rāma married the six-year old beautiful daughter of the king of Mithilā, Sītā who was not born of a womb. On getting Sītā, Rāghava became contented and happy.

Ram married Sita when Sita was 6 years old & sita did not emerged from a mothers’s womb, rather she appeared miraculously, And Ram was 12 or 18 years old when he married Sita.

Reference: Skanda Purana 2:30-8-9

📖Devi Bhagavata Purana 3:40
My daughter has come to a marriageable age; I have no money. Her age has exceeded ten years; the marriageable age limit has been exceeded. Alas! What am I to do?

Reference: Devi Bhagavata Purana 3:40

📖Manusmriti Verse 9.94
A man thirty years old shall marry a charming maiden twelve years old; or one twenty four years old, a damsel eight years old; in the event of his duties suffering, he may do it sooner.

Reference: Manusmriti Verse 9.94 

📖Mahabharata13.44.13
A person of thirty years of age should wed a girl of ten years of age called a Nagnika. Or, a person of one and twenty years of age should wed a girl of seven years of age.

Reference: Mahabharata13.44.13

📖Manusmriti 9:88
One shall give his daughter in the proper form, even though she may not have attained (the age), to a bridegroom who is of exceptionally distinguished appearance, and her equal

Study the following stats carefully:

Nearly 12 million Indian children were married before the age of 10 years — 84% of the Hindu and 11% Muslim — reveals an IndiaSpend analysis of recently released.

Reference: 84% Of 12 mn married children under 10 are Hindus (Special to IANS)