Indian Marriage and its purest promises!
Marriage is truly a blessing. Getting married to your loved one gives you perfect feeling in this world. Marriage is an important part of an individual’s life. It marks as one’s true entry into adulthood as now he or she is now fit for taking on the responsibility of another human being. In reality, you are not going to be a part of your partner’s life instead you are going to be a part of a new family.
The 13 intricate stages of Hindu wedding ceremony show the seriousness of what a marriage entails through various rituals and mantras. Every ritual or mantra pronounced during the wedding has its own significance and cannot be done away with. All these rituals revolve around one main ritual known as the Saptapadi where the bride and the groom utter the seven vows of the wedding, while they revolve around the sacred fire, seven times.
According to ancient Hindu beliefs, marriages are made in heaven. The seven vows taken during the Saptapadi are the seven promises which the bride and the groom make to each other to lead a happy and prosperous life. They are bound together by an unseen thread that is protected by these promising words.
The seven vows are also known as Saptapadi and they are performed along with the Mangal Pheras, where the bride and the groom walk around the sacred fire. And this is the main ritual performed at an Indian Wedding. Any Hindu marriage is considered incomplete without these vows and is deemed complete once they are conducted. The seven vows along with the seven Pheras is the most important ritual of a Hindu wedding as it sanctifies the union of two souls and also gives social recognition to the marriage. So, here is what the priest told me about each of the seven vows of Hindu marriage:
1. First Vow: For the First Vow, the Groom promises his bride: “om eshaekapadibhavaitiprathaman” which means ‘You will offer me food and be helpful in every way. I will cherish you and provide welfare and happiness for you and our children’. The bride complies in return: “dhanamdhanyampadevadet” which means ‘I will take the responsibility for our home and all household, food and our finance’. In short, the bride and groom promise each other prosperity by fulfilling their respective roles in their lives. It’s basically about sharing of responsibilities.
2. Second Vow: For the Second Vow the groom promises his bride: “om oorjejaradastayaha”, which means ‘We will protect our house and children together’.The Bride in return promises that“kutumburnrakshayishyammisaaravindharam” which means ‘I will be there by your side as your courage and your strength. I will rejoice in your happiness and in return, you will love me solely’.
3. Third Vow: During the Third Vow, the Groom promises to his bride that “om rayassantujoradastayaha” which means ‘we may grow healthy and prosperous and strive for the education of our children and our children may live long.’In return, the bride promises, “tava bhakti as vadedvachacha”, which means ‘I will love you for the rest of my life, as you are my husband. Every other man who exists in my life will be secondary. I also vow to remain chaste’.
4. Fourth Vow: During the Fourth phera, the groom promises his bride that “om mayo bhavyasjaradastaya ha” which means ‘You have completed me and brought sacredness into my life. He continues his promise by saying may we be blessed with noble and obedient children’. In response to his promise, the Bride says “lalayami cha padevadet”, which means, ‘I will shower you with joy and will strive to please you in whichever way I can’.
5. Fifth Vow: During the Fifth phera, the Groom promises his bride, “om prajabhyahasantujaradastayaha”, by which he means ‘You are my best friend and my only well-wisher. You have come into my life and enriched it.’ To this, the Bride replies by saying, “arte arbasapadevadet” meaning ‘I promise to love and cherish you for all my life. Your happiness is my happiness, and your sorrow is my sorrow too. I will trust you and honor you, and will strive to fulfill all your wishes’.
6. Sixth Vow: During the Sixth phera, the groom says to his bride, “Rutubhyah shat padibhava” which means ‘Now that we have taken six steps together, you have filled my heart with immense joy. Will you do the kindness of filling my heart with such happiness at all times?’ to this the bride says, “yajnahomshashthevachovadet” which means ‘I will always be there by your side’. It’s all about love.
Also Read: Why Marriage Is Not Our Cup Of Tea?
7. Seventh Vow: During the Last and Seventh phera, the Groom promises his bride that “Om sakhijaradastayahga”, by which he means ‘We have become husband and wife, and are one. You will be mine and I will be yours for eternity.’ The bride readily accepts this proclamation and says “Attramshesakshinovadetpade”, by which she means ‘With the witness of the almighty, I am now your wife and we will love, honor and cherish each other as long as we live.’
So, these 7 vows give life to Indian Wedding and they have their own significance.
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