Is remarriage after divorce or the death of a spouse accepted in dharma?

yes — texts like the Nārada and Parāśara Smṛtis allow it in certain situations, reformers championed it, and today it is fully accepted and legal.

People sometimes feel that a second marriage is somehow less sacred. But Dharmaśāstra itself discusses remarriage: the Nārada and Parāśara Smṛtis list situations where a woman may remarry, and men’s remarriage after a wife’s death was always accepted. In the 19th century, Īśvaracandra Vidyāsāgara used these very texts to argue for widow remarriage, which became law in 1856. Divorce and remarriage are recognised under the Hindu Marriage Act.

A second wedding can include all the usual rites — Gaṇeśa pūjā, pāṇigrahaṇa, pherās and saptapadī — usually in a simpler form, at a temple or at home, often with the children of either partner included in the blessings.

What dharma asks is honesty, care for any children, respect for the memory of a late spouse, and kindness all round. Families and communities should welcome such couples with the same warmth as any other — a new beginning is a blessing.

Source: Nārada and Parāśara Smṛtis; Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856

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