India, a civilization of over 1.4 billion people encompassing Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Jainism, and Buddhism, presents a dizzying array of marital customs. However, this paper focuses primarily on the Hindu majority tradition (approximately 80% of the population), as it provides the foundational grammar for many secularized pan-Indian practices. In Hindu jurisprudence, marriage is not a contract terminable at will, as in Western law, but a samskara —a purificatory rite that transforms the identity of the participants. The groom and bride cease to be individuals and become grihastha (householders), a crucial stage in the Vedic ashrama system.