In Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi the
Hindu wedding ceremony, a rite known as 'sanskara',
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi has many components and it is quite beautiful,
specific and filled with chanting, Sanskrit
blessings and ritual that is thousands of years old.
In India, it can last weeks or days. In the West, it
typically is at least two hours long. It is the role
of the Hindu priest or 'pandit' to lead a couple and
their families through the sacrament of marriage.
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi however, as an interfaith minister, I’ve had the
good fortune of being called upon by Hindu brides
and grooms and couples who love Hindu rituals, to
incorporated some of the rites into
non-denominational, interfaith or multi-faith
ceremonies. An important aspect of the Hindu
ceremony is to light a sacred fire, created from
'ghee' (clarified butter) and woolen wicks, to evoke
the God, Agni (Fire God), to bear witness to the
ceremony. The highlight is 'Saptapadi', also called
the 'Seven Steps'. Here in Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi, traditionally the bride’s
sari is tied to the groom’s kurta, or a sari shawl
might be draped from his shoulder to her sari. He
leads, her pinky linked with his pinky, in seven
steps around the fire, as the priest chants the
seven blessings or vows for a strong union. By
walking around the fire they are agreeing to these.
With each step, they throw small bits of puffed rice
into the fire, representing prosperity in their new
life together. This is considered the most important
part of the ceremony at Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi, it seals the bond forever. A
nice way to adapt this into a creative, contemporary
ceremony is to light a traditional fire, or use a
candle, placed on a small table in front of the
wedding altar. Bride and groom can be in tux and
white dress as they take seven steps while seven
blessings are spoken in English. Here at Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi are Seven
Blessings adapted from a Hindu ceremony.
|
13 Steps of a Vedic Marriage Ceremony in Arya Samaj Mandir Delhi
While various regional steps
are followed by different
sects of Hindus across
India, the following 13
steps form the core of a
Vedic wedding ceremony:
-
Vara Satkaarah -at
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi
Reception of the
bridegroom and his
kinsmen at the entrance
gate of the wedding hall
where the officiating
priest chants a few
mantras and the bride's
mother blesses the groom
with rice and trefoil
and applies tilak of
vermilion and turmeric
powder.
-
Madhuparka Ceremony
- at
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi
Reception of the
bridegroom at the altar
and bestowing of
presents by the bride's
father.
-
Kanya Dan - The
bride's father gives
away his daughter to the
groom amidst the
chanting of sacred
mantras at
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi
-
Vivah-Homa - In
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi,
the
sacred fire ceremony
ascertaining that all
auspicious undertakings
are begun in an
atmosphere of purity and
spirituality.
-
Pani-Grahan - The
groom takes the right
hand of the bride in his
left hand and accepts
her as his lawfully
wedded wife.
-
Pratigna-Karan -
The couple walk round
the fire, the bride
leading, and take solemn
vows of loyalty,
steadfast love and
life-long fidelity to
each other.
-
Shila Arohan -
The mother of the bride
assists her to step onto
a stone slab and
counsels her to prepare
herself for a new life.
-
Laja-Homah -
Puffed rice offered as
oblations into the
sacred fire by the bride
while keeping the palms
of her hands over those
of the groom.
-
Parikrama or
Pradakshina or Mangal
Fera - The couple
circles the sacred fire
seven times. This aspect
of the ceremony
legalizes the marriage
according to the Hindu
Marriage Act as well
custom.
-
Saptapadi -
Marriage knot symbolized
by tying one end of the
groom's scarf with the
bride's dress. Then they
take seven steps
representing
nourishment, strength,
prosperity, happiness,
progeny, long life and
harmony and
understanding,
respectively.
-
Abhishek -
Sprinkling of water,
meditating on the sun
and the pole star.
-
Anna Praashan -
The couple make food
offerings into the fire
then feed a morsel of
food to each other
expressing mutual love
and affection.
-
Aashirvadah -
Benediction by the
elders at the last in
Arya
Samaj Mandir Delhi.
|
|
Indian
weddings are very bright events, filled with ritual
and celebration, that continue for several days.
Marriage is deemed essential for virtually everyone
in India. For the individual, marriage is the great
watershed in life, marking the transition to
adulthood. Generally, this transition, like
everything else in India, depends little upon
individual volition but instead occurs as a result
of the efforts of many people. Even as one is born
into a particular family without the exercise of any
personal choice, so is one given a spouse without
any personal preference involved. Arranging a
marriage is a critical responsibility for parents
and other relatives of both bride and groom.
There are a literally scores of ways in which a
marriage ceremony can be performed, though usually
the religion/caste of the bridegroom (and sometimes
the bride), decides the kind of ceremony and the
nature of rites. Sometimes, the bride and groom
choose to have an Arya Samaj Mandir Delhi wedding. This kind of
wedding is very different from the other types in
many ways.
The wedding is conducted according to Arya Marriage
Validation Act XIX of 1937 and is solemnized
according to Vedic rites. In these weddings, the
pooja is not performed to any specific deity because
the Arya Samaj doesn't believe in idol worship. Fire and
the other elements are the only witnesses to the
ceremony.
Simplicity is the hallmark of Arya Samaj Mandir Delhi weddings.
The rituals performed are the ones prescribed by the
Vedas and the mantras are translated into the Tamil
/ Hindi / English so that the couple know what the
meaning of their marriage vows.
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment