Part 2: Kumudavalli--Thirumangai"s Vaidhika Vivaham

[Guest guest]

In the last posting, I referred to the Veda Mantras playing a key role

in every step of the traditional Hindu Marriage. Thirumangai asked for the hand

of

Kumudavalli, got permisison form the father and married her in the ceremony

prescribed by the Vedas. The mantras for this ceremony comes mostly from the

Rks housed in the tenth Khanda of Rg Vedam, where a daughter of Sun God by

name Suryaa is given in marriage to the bridegroom by the name of Soma.These

mantras

are in 10.85 section mostly.

 

Many Divya Desams have references in their Sthala Puranam about

the Lord

seeking the hand of Maha Lakshmi, who is raised by a Maharishi, after finding

her as

an Ayonijai. For instance , In Oppiliappan Koil, Markandeya Maharishi accedes to

the

request of Sriman Narayana , who seeks the Hand of his daughter Bhoomi Devi.

She was found as a child in the Tulasi forest by the Maharishi .AtKumbakonam,

Sarangapani weds Komalavalli, the daughter of Hema Maharishi.

At Thiruvahindrapuram, Hemabjavalli, the daughter of another Muni marries

Devanathan in a Vedic Ceremony.At Thirupathi , Srinivasan marries Padmavathi

after seeking her hand from the father, Akasa Rajan.At Thiru Idavendai Bhagavan

got the name of Niya Kalyanar thru his marriage of the 360 daughters of Kalava

Rishi.

He married them all one a day and made them all into one named Akilavalli

Nacchiyar.

The most celebrated one is the wedding, where Ranganatha seeks the hand of Andal

from the father Periyazhvar and weds her in a ceremony at Srivilliputtur. Andal

had already

dreamt about that and has described the wedding in her Nacchiar Thirumozhi ,

Varanamayiram section exactly as prescribed in the Vedic Ceremony.

 

In the following sections, I will describe the Steps of a Vedic Wedding and

their

significance.

 

Step 1: VAK DHANAM: This step is a part of Kanya Varanam, where the

Brahmachari sends

two elders on his behalf to the father of a girl, whom he wishes to marry.The

elders

convey the message of the Brahmachari and ask for the daughter"s hand. The two

mantras

in the form of Brahmachari"s appeal to intercede on his behalf come from

Rk 10.32. 1(Pra sugmantha--) and 10.85.23. The first mantram begs the

elders to proceed & return

quickly with success back from their mission on his behalf. The second mantram

(Anruksharaa

Rujava:) asks for the Deva"s blessings for the elder"s safe journey to the

house of the father of

the would -be-bride. The mantram prays to Aryama and Bhagan for a marriage full

of harmony.

The father accedes to the request of the elders and the resulting agreement for

betrothal is known

as Vak Dhanam.

 

Step2: Kanya Dhanaam--Here, the Brahmachari meets his father in law.Latter

seats him facing

the eastern direction and washes the feet of the future son in law, who is

considered as the

Vishnu Swaroopan. All honors are given including the ceremonial washing of the

feet of the groom

by the Father in law and offer of Madhu Parkam(a mixture of Curd, Honey and

Ghee) to the

accompaniment of selected Veda Mantras.

 

Step 3: Vara Prekshanam--In this ritual, the bridegroom and the bride look at

each other

formally for the first time. The bridegroom worries about any dhosas(defects)

that the bride

might have and prays to varuna ,Brahaspati ,Indra and Surya to remove every

defect and

to make her fit for harmonious and long marriage life blessed with progeny and

happiness

(Mantra: Rg 10.85.44). The bride groom recites the mantra and wipes the

eyebrows of the

bride with a blade of dharba grass ,as if he was chasing away all defects. The

Dharba

grass is thrown behind the bride at the conclusion of this ceremony.

 

Step 4: Mangala Snanam and the wearing of the wedding clothes by the bride:

Five Veda mantras are recited to sanctify the bride in preparation for the

subsequent

stages of the marriage. This aspect of the marriage is known a s Mangala

Snanam.

Sun God (Suryan) , water God (Varunan), and other Gods are invoked to purify the

bride

in preparation for the harmonious married life. Next, the bride wears the

marriage clothes to the accompaniment of additional Veda Mantras. The bridegroom

then ties a dharba rope around the waist of the bride and leads her to the place

,where the sacred fire is located for

conducting the rest of the marriage ceremony. The bride and the groom sit on a

new mat in front of the fire. The groom recites three mantras ,which invoke

Soman, Ghandarvan and Agni to confer strength

beauty and Youth on the bride.

 

Step 5: Mangalya Dhaaranam: There is no Veda Mantram for tying the Mangala

Sutram

(auspicious thread) around the neck of the bride by the groom. Latter takes the

Mangala

Sutram in his hands and recites the following verse:

 

Maangalyam Tantunaanena Mama Jeevana Hethunaa I

Kantteh Bhadnami Subhage sanjeeva sarada: sadam II

 

(meaning: This is a scred thread .This is essential for my long life.

I tie this around your neck. O maiden having many auspicious

attributes ! May thou live happily for hundred years (with me).

 

Step 6: Paani Grahanam: After Mangalya Dharanam, the groom lowers his right palm

 

and encloses it over the right hand of the bride. He covers all the five fingers

of the

right hand of the bride with his right palm thru this act of Paani Grahanam. He

recites

mantras in praise of Bhagan, Aryama,Savita, Indran, Agni,Suryan,Vayu and

Saraswati ,

while holding the bride"s hand. He prays for long life, progeny , prosperity and

harmony

with the bride during their married life. The closed fingers of the right hand

of the bride is

said to represent her heart. The Paanigrahanam ritual symbolizes the bride

surrendering

her heart in the hands of the groom during the occasion of the marriage.

 

Step 7: Saptha Pati: During this ritual, the groom walks with the bride to the

right side of the

Sacred fire. All along , he holds his wife's right hand in his right hand in

the way in which

he held her hand during the Paani Grahanam ceremony. He stops, bends down and

holds

the right toe of his wife with his right hand and helps her take seven steps

around the fire.

At the beginning of each step, he recites a Veda Mantra to invoke theblessings

of Maha Vishnu.

Through these seven mantras, he asks Maha Vishnu to follow in the footsteps of

his wife

and bless her with food, strength, piety, progeny, wealth, comfort and health.

At the conclusion

of the seven steps, he addresses his wife with a moving statement from the Veds

summarized below:

 

Dear Wife! By taking these seven steps, You have become my dearest friend.I

pledge my

unfailing loyalty to You. Let us stay together for the rest of our lives. Let us

not separate from

each other ever. Let us be of one mind in carrying out our responsibilities as

Grahasthas. Let

us love and cherish each other and enjoy nourishing food and good health. Let us

discharge our prescribed Vedic duties to our elders, ancestors, Rishis ,Devas

and Gods. Let our aspirations

be united. I will be the Saaman and let thou be the Rk(Saaman here refers to the

music and

Rk refers to the Vedic text that is being cast into music).Let me the upper

world and let thou be the

Bhoomi or mother Earth. I will be the Suklam or Life force . Let thou be the

bearer of that Suklam.

Let me be the Manas and let thou be the Vak or Speech. May thou follow me to

conceive children

and gain worldly as well as spiritual wealth.May all auspiciousness come your

way. This series

of Veda mantras starting with "Sakhaa Saptapadhaa bhava----" and

ending with "Pumse Putraaya ---" are rich with meaning and imagery.

 

8.Pradhaana Homam: After Saptha Pati, The couple take their seat on the western

side of

the sacred fire and conduct Pradhaana Homam .During the conductance of this

Homam,

the bride must place her right hand on her husband's body so that she gets the

full benefit

of the Homam through symbolic participation. Sixteen mantras are recited to the

accompaniment

of pouring a spoon of clarified butter into the sacred fire at the end of

recitation of each of

the mantras. These mantras salute Soma, Gandharva, Agni, Indra, Vayu, Aswini

Devas, Savita,

Brahaspati, Viswa Devas and Varuna for blessing the marriage and beseeches them

to confer long

wedded life , health, wealth, children and freedom from all kinds of worries.

One prayer -the sixth

mantra-- has a sense of humor and provides deep insight into human psychology.

The text of this

mantra Is: " Dasaasyam putran Dehi, Patim ekadasam krithi". Here, the groom asks

Indra to

bless the couple with ten sons/children and requests that he be blesssed to

become the

eleventh child of his bride in his old age.

 

9. Ammi stepping: After Pradhaana homam, the husband holds the right toe of his

wife and lifts

her leg and places it on a flat granite grinding stone known as "Ammi" in

Tamil. Ammi stands

at the right side of the sacred fire. The husband recites a Veda mantra , when

he places

the right foot of his wife on the Ammi: " May thou stand on this firm stone.

Let thou be rock-firm

during your stay on this grinding stone. May thou stand upto those, who oppose

you , while

you carry out your time-honored responsibilities as a wife sanctioned by the

Vedas and tradition.

May thou develop tolerance to your enemies and put up a fair fight to defend

your legitimate rights

as the head of the household in a firm manner , equal to the steady strength of

this Ammi.

 

10.Laaja Homam: After Ammi stepping, a ceremony of doing homam with parched rice

is

conducted. Here, the wife cups her hands and the brothers of the bride fill the

cupped hands

with parched rice. The husband adds a drop of ghee to the parched rice and

recites five Veda

mantras. At the end of each of the recitation , the parched rice is thrown into

the sacred fire as

Havis (offering) to Agni. Through these mantras, the wife prays for long life

to her husband

and a marriage filled with peaceand harmony. At he end of the Laja Homam, the

husband

unties the Dharba belt around the waist of his wife with another mantra. The

husband states

thru this mantra that he unites his wife and ties her now with Varuna pasam

and invites her

to be a full partner in his life to enjoy the blessings of wedded life.

 

11. GRAHA PRAVESAM: This ceremony relates to the journey of the wife to her

husband"s home. The husband carries the homagni in a eathern vessel during this

journey home. There are many Veda

mantras associated with this journey.These mantras pray to the appropriate

Vedic Gods to remove

all obstacles that one can experience in a journey. The bride is requested to

become

the mistress of the house and is reminded of her important role among the

relatives of her

husband. After reaching her new home, she puts her right foot first inn the

house and recites

the following Veda Mantram: " I enter this house with a happy heart. May I give

birth to children,

who observe the path of Dharma! May this house that I enter today be prosperous

forever and

never be deficient in food. May this house be populated by people of virtue and

pious thoughts".

 

12. PRAAVISYA HOMAM: After Graha Pravesam, A fire ritual known as Praavisya

Homam is

performed by the couple to the accompaniment of thirteen Veda Mantras from Rg

Vedam.

Jayaathi Homam is also part of the Praavisya Homam. This homam offers the

salutation

of the newly married couple to Agni Deva and asks for strength and nourishment

to discharge the

duties of a Grahasthas for the next one hundred years. After that, the bride

shifts her position

from the right side of her husband to his left side. At that time, Once again,

she recites a

Veda Mantram invoking the Gods for blessings of children and wealth to perform

the duties

of a householder.

 

At the end of the above Homam, a child is placed on the lap

of the bride and she offers

a fruit to the child, while reciting a prescribed Veda Mantram. Yet another

Mantram asks the

assembled guests to bless the bride and then retire to their own individual

homes peacefully.

During the first evening of the stay in her new home, the couple see the stars

known as Dhruvan

(pole star) and Arundhati. The husband points out the pole star and prays for

the strength

and stability of the household thru a Veda Mantra. Next, the husband points out

the Arundhati

star to his wife and describes to her the the story of Arundhati and her

legendary chastity.

 

The rich and meaningful ceremony of the Hindu marriage (Kalyana

Mahotsavam of

the temples) is thus carried out in concert with sacred Veda Mantras. The bride

and bridegroom

should enunciate clearly the Veda Mantras and reflect on their meanings during

the different

stages of the marriage ceremony.This way, they can be sure of a long, happy and

prosperous

married life and play their appropriate role in society to the fullest

extent.Srinivasa Kalyanam

is performed in the temples to remind us of these hoary Vedic traditions behind

a Hindu marriage.

 

Lokaa: Samasthaa: Sukhino Bhavantu

Sarva Mangalaani Santhu

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

.

[Guest guest]

Sri Sadagopan,

 

Thanks for a very informative post on the marriage practices.

 

There is one question i have relating to the gothrams of the bride and

groom. I think the conversion of the bride's gothram happens before

Ammi stepping. So, does the conversion take place during the Saptha Pati

or Pradhana Homam?

 

Thanks

 

-Venkatesh Elayavalli

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Dr. Sadagopan for an informative posting about the

meaning of the Vedic mantras used in the marriage ceremony.

However, I find it highly unlikely that Thirumangai Azhvaar's

wedding was carried out using these Vedic mantras. Being

outside the pale of the Vedas (Saint Thirumangai was of the

KaLLa caste), he had no right to recite the Vedas according

to the norms of his time. Unfortunately, this is one place

where I doubt the society of his time would have been flexible.

 

Sri Vaishnavas of later times have romanticized the relationship

between the lower caste Azhvaars and the Vedas, when very often

no such relationship could have existed. In this instance,

we are told Thirumangai is married in a Vedic ceremony.

In Azhvaar Thiruangari, the birthplace of Nammazhvaar, the

image of Nammaazhvaar is adorned with a poonal (sacred thread)!

There is no chance that Nammaazhvaar ever wore a poonal.

Madhurakavi Azhvaar says says that he was rejected by the

brahmins of his time, presumably due to his reverence for

his non-brahmin acharya, Nammaazhvaar.

 

It is beholden upon us to be honest about the social

restrictions of the Azhvaars' time period. It goes without

saying that the Azhvaars were parama vaidikas, in that they

perceived the deepest truths of the Vedas. However, they

did this *despite* their being barred from the Vedas.

Immense credit should go to Sri Nathamuni for throwing

Vedic convention to the winds and setting the Azhvaars

on the highest possible pedestal. Surely he encountered

tremendous social opposition and ostracization in doing so.

 

By romanticizing the Azhvaars' Vedic heritage, we make

it easy to ignore the social reality of their time as well

as ours. Consider the fact that only five centuries after

Nathamuni's revolutionary acceptance of the Thiruvaaymozhi

as another Veda, a section of Sri Vaishnavas forcefully

argued that non-brahmins cannot be acharyas to brahmins!

Is this the example set by the Azhvaars? Why then were

these great souls born amongst the entire social spectrum,

if not to show that social status meant absolutely nothing?

And that the Vedas themselves were offended by being confined

to a cloister?

 

Mani