In Kali-yuga, marriage by mutual acceptance and sankirtana-yajna are the authorized paths for civilization and liberation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Wedding Lecture [partially recorded] — November 17, 1971, Delhi 711117WE-DELHI [09:06 Minutes] Wedding_711117WE-DELHI Prabhupāda: This marriage is being performed as gandharva marriage, simply by changing the garland. In the Kali-yuga, the other kinds of marriage, selected by the parents, that is not possible. Therefore, one of the marriage system, gandharva marriage, is accepted. And simply by changing the garland and promising. Svīkāra eva hi udvāhe.
That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In the Kali-yuga, simply by accepting, the man accepts the woman as wife and the woman accepts the man as husband, that is the vow. Svīkāra eva hi udvāhe. Udvā means the vow.
Simply by acceptance. Because other things are not possible. And without marriage, that is not civilized life. Because in the animal society there is no marriage, but in any form of civilized society there is marriage. Everyone has got sex appetite.
Therefore, marriage is allowed by the Vedic system. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that dharmāviruddho kāmo 'smi: "Kāma, lust, which is not against religious principles, that is I am." So marriage is essential. So far our Society is concerned, we don't allow anybody to remain in our Society as friends, girlfriend or boyfriend. No.
They must be married. And these boys and girls, after being married, they are preaching nicely Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All my students who are married, they are doing preaching work more than sannyāsī. Yes.
In the Kali-yuga, practically it is forbidden. Sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam kalau pañca vivarjayet, aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ... aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam devareṇa sutotpattiṁ kalau pañca vivarjayet [Cc. Ādi 17.164] Formerly there was a system: if the husband is unable, then a son can be begotten by the husband's younger brother, devareṇa. But in this age, Kali-yuga, that is forbidden. Similarly, aśvamedha yajña, gomedha yajña is also forbidden, because there is no yajñic brāhmaṇa.
Formerly, when an animal was put into the fire, sacrificed, and by Vedic mantra it was given a new, fresh life. That was the test of Vedic mantra pronouncing. But that is not possible nowadays. In the Kali-yuga, the only yajña is the sañkīrtana yajña. kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32] Those who are highly intellectual, su-medhasaḥ, they perform the saṅkīrtana yajña, and by that saṅkīrtana yajña, the Lord, whose complexion is not black and who is always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and is accompanied by His associates, sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. So in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, everything is being performed according to the scriptural injunction. It is not that we are manufacturing something. yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim [Bg. 16.23] So our initiation, our accepting a disciple as brāhmaṇa, they are all strictly according to Vedic injunctions.