Query answered

November 4, 2008

Dear Harekrishnaji,

Thankyou very much for your kind words.

Clarification: I had said,mainly, that I would provide further information on Satabhishekam if you needed, not Shashtiabdapoorthi.

Kasi-yatra is a ceremony which is done during marriage, are you referring to that? I see no connection with this to Shastiabdapoorthi.

1. Either you must be asking about Kasi-yatra in general(as in: Taking your parents after the Shashtiabda poorthi to Kasi as a religious trip)

or

2. As a seperate query pertaining to the ritual/more followed during a Vedic ceremony.

This has no connection with Shashti-abda poorthi.Some people erroneously this ceremony is 60th marriage ceremony!('Aruvadaam kalyanam')but this is not like a 'repeat wedding' of the old couple(just because there are flower garlands and tying of managlasutra).The vedic significance and the austerity inherent is weakened by such a thinking.

Kasi Yatra has gained acceptance as a symbolism for the tradition of marriage. Immediately after his student-life, the young bachelor has two alternatives before him – Married life ( Grihasta ) or asceticism ( Sanyas ).

A humanbeing is by nature an escapist, he prefers the ascetic life to the tribulations of married life. He therefore ‘makes his way’ to kasi (VARANASI), complete with slippers, umbrella, bamboo fan, a bundle of rice,staff for support and to ward off dangers during the journey,etc. On his way, the bride’s father(later replaced by the bride's brother if available) intervenes and advises him of the superiority of married life to ascetic life. He also promises to give him his daughter as companion to face the challenge of life. The umbrella is to remain with groom, to remind him in the future, of this advice.The purpose of this ceremony is serious and to remind him that even marriage is for the sake of spiritual union and trying to seek God together.

But these days, this ceremony is done in a comical fashion with everyone laughing their bellies out.Even during my marriage there was lot of laughter when my brother-in-law placed a sweetmeat in my mouth 'enticing' me to 'reconsider' my decision.Though I kept quite out of embarrasment at the moment, I knew the meaning of the ceremony.In days of yore, the bridegroom asks the father-in-law valid reasons for not going to Kashi and like Krishna explaining to Arjuna they used to explain to their would-be son-in-laws the bliss of marital life and the spiritual benefits thereof.In my marriage, I had to ask the questions myself and answer it myself!(much to the chagrin of the 'vadiyar' present in my marriage! Also, even the marriage mantras were recited by me on the dias).I did it as a way of maintaining tradition not as a show-off.I also had to recite mantras myself as the 'panthulu' did not know for

"Thotalo digadam' (Udhyanavana spandana) ceremony which we Telugu brahmins have(it is a vedic version of 'reception').It was rather a scene with me in full suit and coat(at the behest of my in-laws) and reciting vedic mantras!

During the wedding ceremony the groom is welcomed as Mahavishnu Svarupa ie Shriman MahaVishnu himself ( or the Siva the equivalent in the Adi Saiva tradition ) and the bride as Lakshmi.

Therefore, it is imperative he knows no sin, thence he needs to perform a yatra to kashi , submerge in Ganges and comes and does the wedding purified.This is one argument opined by some.In the days of yore , when a man after education takes a yatra like this ( it takes up some months, sometimes a year on foot) , he gets to see the world , otherwise which he would not have been exposed to , thence from Brahmacharya , before moving to grahasta ashrama he come experienced and purified, disiplined ( goal oriented) and fit to take up the challenges of married life. And those days the groom would have been engaged ( nischya dartha) , and proceeds on this yatra and is welcomed back after the father in-law etc after coming back, with this words Maha Vishnu Svarupa, and given the kanya dhana.Hindu law givers have identified 8 different types of marriage and they

are:

Bramhana Vivaha: This is considered the most virtuous where the Brahmana father gives his daughter's hand to a worthy and spiritual groom(panigraha) for no price(dowry or Kanyasulka) with the consent of his daughter.

Deva Vivaha: This is where sometimes one's daughter is given to the priest of a certain Yagna in praise of his spiritual calibre with the consent of his daughter.

Aarsha Vivaha: This is where a girl is exchanged for a few pairs of cows, again with the consent of the girl involved.

Prajapatya Vivaha: This is where the father gives away his daughter to any suitor(whether of spiritual calibre or not) without accepting any bride-price(Kanyasulka) to keep them happy.(Say, a modern love marriage)

Aasura Vivaha:This is where a man purchases a bride for a price.

(Ths itself was termed 'Aasura Vivaha', then imagine, the case of demanding dowry and then marrying: Maybe it would have been termed 'Mahaaasuri Vivaha'!)

Gandharva Vivaha:This is a love ceremony without any vedic ceremonies involved but here too, there is a promise that a formal wedding would take place.(This can be said the equivalent of modern day 'eloped marriages' or 'registared marriages' and then marrying formally with consent of reluctant parents)

Rakshasa Vivaha: This is where the suitor abducts the bride from her place without her father's conset but marries her with her consent.

Pisacha Vivaha: This is the worst type of marriage,wherein the man forces the girl to marry him and keeps her as his wife without her consent just for the sake of consummation.

The above is mentioned by me in the descending order of acceptance.

The rituals prescribed for each of these Vivahas are different(except Gandharva) and Kasi-yatra finds place in the first two types of Vivaha.

It is actually the first of the wedding ceremonies.The groom after accepting the wedding gifts from the girl's father during the Varapuja ceremony in the previous evening poses a false act that he is leaving to kasi and renouncing the very idea of marriage.The girl's father stops him,convinces him of the merits of the grihastha ashrama and then offers him second set of sacred cords(sacred thread sets) to signify his new birth to the next phase of his sacred brahminical duties.

Some Marwadis also do it and call it Janev function.

In Northindia Kshatriya marriages the groom comes on a horse(Baaraat) and a sword.Also, there is retinue of male relatives and one person(best man of the wedding) from one of his relatives and friends to lead the horse and comes and stands before the girl's place(gate).The girl who stands at the Gate invites him with a 'Jaimala'.Upto this point the act looks like a 'Rakshasa' wedding as in invading the girl's territory with a male army but then the scene changes and it turns into a 'Prajapatya wedding'. I know this personally as I had been the 'best man' (despite my desperate pleading not to be--it is a pain to wear those heavy north indian clothes and turban and walk the horse in the sweltering heat of Chennai and that too in full view of the public!! --However, I had to yield because he was a very close northindian friend of mine and he was adamant that none of his

relatives or even his brothers should do that! Maybe at that time I took it as a compliment and a kind gesture and accepted it. However, this gave me an oppportunity to hear the Vedic mantras of the Northindian wedding at close quarters as I led the procession, entered the hall, heard the Vedic mantras with a different meter and tried to discern the meaning of the function).This is a remnant of a past tradition which Northindian Kshatriyas do it.('Januvasam' which we southindians,especially people of Tamilnadu, follow where in the groom is brought in car is a relatively new concept.)

Even Krishna who invaded his father-in-law's territory and abducted and married Rukmani is a classic example of Rakshasa vivaha.

Now, why did I divert to these stories? To tell that, it is in our Brahamana wedding (and Deva vivaha) that this esoteric significance is brought about.Even at the time of marriage Brahmins are concerned (or rather should be concerned) about reaching God and this is not to be considered like a ceremony before nuptials(as many of the youngsters consider these days, and you know what I mean, with the modern surge of cinemas which glorify 'Shanti Muhurtha'('first night') very romantically)

If your query was a general query regarding the merits of visiting Kashi, then I guess this one email posting or even ten would not suffice.I would say instead of counting the fruits on the tree, why not taste it?

In other words, why not make a trip to Kashi and have the darshan of Vishveshwara and Jaganmatha?

Jayosthu Paraaamba!

Shreeram Balijepalli

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