Can an Abducted Woman Love her Abductor * 64

One of the forms of marriage recognized in Hinduism is Asura Vivah or marriage by abduction. Perhaps the ancient Hindu saints recognized that a man may desire a woman so much that he could abduct her. So they sanctified it and accepted it as a form of marriage. This is a piquant situation and I wonder from the woman’s point of view of how she would feel if she was abducted and married by any man. Would she accept him? My thinking is positive on this issue though I am aware as per the modern law; it is a crime to abduct a woman. 

Throughout history, there are examples of women being kidnapped and abducted for marriage. The emperor Jahangir loved Noor Jahan so much that he got her husband killed and married her. History tells us that Noor Jahan became a favorite of Jahangir and advised him on all state matters as well as bearing his children. How did she forget her killed husband?

Perhaps it has something to do with psychology, mental makeup, and sex. When all these add up, then a woman is likely to accept the man who may be her abductor. There was a peculiar case before the Madras High Court, where a woman who had accused a man of rape wanted to withdraw the charge as the man wanted to marry her. The court obviously did not accept her plea.

Women by nature are soft and whether in America or India the psychology is same. There are so many cases of women loving their abductors even in the west. The famous books on  Angelique  Series by Sergeanne Golan lucidly elucidate this point, where Angelique starts loving her abductors.

I feel if abduction is dictated by love, and then there is every chance that a woman will love back, but violence and force can leave a woman scarred for life. Islam, in particular has a lot of abductions, but nothing is done about them

Abducting a Woman for Love. Justified? Hindu Scriptures say Yes, Modern law say its a Crime

The Laws of Manu justify abduction of a woman for marriage. The laws of Manu have been the cornerstone of Hindu jurisprudence for close to 4000 years. When Lord Krishna abducted his lady love the Princess Rukimini can be treated as the stepping stone for such acts for Hindu lovers. A lover could abduct his love or the woman he desired and marry her and then take her to the bridal bed. The rights of the woman did not matter, but perhaps in a society dominated by this ethos, women accepted abduction as part of ‘Dharma’. During abduction a warrior had sometimes to fight with the kin of the princess and he could carry out the abduction, only if he won the battle.

The great warrior Bhishma also abducted 3 princesses from a swayamvara and in the process defeated all the warriors who had come for the swayamvara. Thus marriage by abduction was a legal right and recognized in the Laws of Manu as an act as per ‘Dharma’. The arrival of the English changed all this and abduction from 1861 became a crime when the Indian Penal Code was passed. Now if you were to abduct anyone , it can land the man to a still jail term for 7 years. Al the same its fun to read of abductions and love and sex in olden days.

Come to think in case a man abducts a woman, I wonder what are teh thoughts of a woman who knows that the man loves her ? I can't hazard a guess.