Vivaha mantras

courtesy:http://brahmanasamskara.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

A VIEW ABOUT VIVAHA MANTRAS

Inside view about few important Vivaha Mantras


Vakdhanamcha, pradhanamcha, varanam,panipeedanam,
Sapthapadhinee- panchanko vivaham parikeerthitha :

The above sloka states that the following five are the important angas of our marriages

1. In Vakdhaanam: The bride's father agrees and promises to give his daughter in marriage to the proposed bridegroom.

2. In Pradhaanam: The bride is given to bridegroom with all Streedhanams like jewels, dresses etc. The mantra for this part is chanted as under:

Kanyam, kanaka sampannam, kanakabharana bhushitham,Dhaasyami Vishnave Thubhyam Brahmaloka jigeeshaya

Viswarambara:, sarvabootha: Sakshina: sarvadevathaa:
Imam Kanyam pradhaasyami pitrunam tharanaya cha

Kanye mamagratho bhooya: Kanye mea bhava parswayo:
Kanyeme saravatho bhooya: twa dhaana moshamapnuyam
Imam kanyam praja sahathwa karmabhya: prathipadhayami.

Prathigrunnami ithi prathivachanam by bridegroom.

Kanya Samskara:- Divya mantra Snanam & New Bridal Dress

3.Varanam: The prospective bridegroom is considered as Lord Vishnu and all required upcharas are performed on him.

4.Paanigrahanam:-

The meaning of Panigrahana Mantras as under:-

All brides first belong to God Soma, Then they belong to gandharva and in the third place they belong to the Fire God. Having been possessed by such great beings, I am an ordinary mortal to take hold of you. But being blessed by the above Gods, I am confident that wealth, prosperity and children will accrue to me by taking you as my wife.

I am taking hold of your hand as a symbol of ever-lasting love and friendship between us, till we become old ,and as a pledge to bring forth good progeny. The Gods BAGAN , ARYAMAN, SAVITHA, INDRA have given you unto me to carry on the gruhastha Aasrama Dharma.. This gruhashta aasrama has been sanctified by the Gods from time immemorial and it is to this high heritage that I am now coming ,by taking your hand.

O Godess Saraswathi even as you have attained endless fortune and food may we too by this "Panigrahanam" attain wealth and grains,may we be blessed to love and live long happily .We will praise your glory in the presence of all living creatures.

May the Air ,who pervades every where and in all directions purify everything, who is the friend of Fire God, and who cooks all kind of food and is ready with gold in his hand to give to his devotees, may he enter our mind O Godess Saraswathi, and make our friendship everlasting.

5.Sapthapathi:-

The essence of the Sapthapathi mantras are as under:

i. May the Lord Narayana, who pervades the entire universe, satisfy your physical hunger by feeding you in response to the first step you are taking.

ii. May your second step give you physical strength by the grace of the Lord Narayana.

iii. May He follow your third step and help you fulfill your good actions.

iv. My He follow your fourth step to bless you with happiness

v. My He bless you with the wealth of cattle by following you fifth step.

vi. My He confer happiness on you during all the six seasons by following your sixth step.

vii. By following the seventh step of yours, may He bless you to perform the soma-sacrifice by the worship of the seven Ritviks, namely Hotha, Prasttha,Bhrahma-naathasamsi, Botha, Neshta,Acchavahan and Agnidhara.

"O" Bride of mine" I Pray to the Lord to bless you at every step of yours as though following me. By following me by taking seven steps with me you have become my friend. We shall be friends always and we shall never part from each other. By our coming together each one getting the other, we become happy radiant, and peaceful. We shall enjoy together health giving food and drinks and keep up our family life together. We shall consult each other in carrying out every piece of work. Let us put our minds together and try to think alike. Let us do righteous deeds together. Let us enjoy together whatever is to be gained by our senses and mind.

You are the rik and I am the Soma. I am the heaven and you are the earth. I am the mind and you are the spirit. May you- by following me to create Male progeny- 'O' you virgin of sweet worlds, come along with me.

By stepping on the stone, the bridegrooms chant/pray the following:-

"O bride you should stand on this stone- like this stone- you shall stand firm against all buffetings of life. You shall stand up fearless against those who resist you. " O Virgin" you shall disgrace your enemies.

By doing pradhakshinam around Agni and asking the bride stand on the stone again the following words are recited by Bridegroom.

O fire God you have married the Virgin Godess "soorya" who is the friend of brides, and therefore, they are all under your kind control and guidance. Kindly give me a bride who is free from all blemish and who can bring forth my progeny. The fire God must give me a bride, who is beautiful healthy and long living. By your help we must be able to get across all enemies and difficulties.

Looking at the Stars: Arundhathi/Druva: By showing the the following stars the bridegroom to the bride, he prays as follows:

By looking at the star Arundhathi- the wife of Rishi Vasishta, and one of the krittikaas, who had attained the highest position in chastity and this was acknowledged by the other six Krittikaas ( wives of saptharishees) may my wife too be chaste and be reckoned by the world as the eight Krittikaa.

By showing the Dhruva star,in the northern direction, who has reached the immortal position with no destruction whatsoever, you are the symbol of stability and inspirer of stability in others. You are the polestar, the pole around which other stars revolve. My you protect us from the evil foes.

Samavarthanam for bridegroom, Sprouting of Palika, Kanyaka Samskaram for Bride, Vara Pooja, Nandee Sraadham,Kanyaka Dhanam,Mangalya Dharanam, Panigrahanam,Sapthapathee-Agniprdhakshinam, Main Homa, Lajahomam- Gruha pravesam, Pravesahomam, Jayathi Homam,Agne sthalipaka, Aupasanam, Noothana Gruha Pravesam,Seshahomam, Phaladhanam, thamboola charvanam, Mahaashirvadam are some of the important rituals , in the marriage.

To elaborate what is stated above , the important stages in Brahmin marriage are as under:-

Sending messages to the Vara and promise to give the proposed bride to the bridegroom by way of Nichyatartham.( Vaakdhaanam)

Samavarthanam ( vrathapoorthi and symbolic kasi yatra) : Brahmacharya Aasrama is for learning. At the end of completion of education and before marriage this samskaram to be performed for the bridegroom. This samskaram is done as prayaschitta for not correctly doing- or for not performing the required samskarams at the appropriate times from the birth of the bridegroom to the date of the marriage. After this the boy is leaving the bramacharya aasrama and entering the gruhastha aasrama.

Vara pooja, considering the Bridegroom as "VISHNU".
Madhuparkam.( that is giving mixture of Honey and Curd) to be given to the bridegroom.

Kanyaka Dhanam-by chanting GOTHRAPRAVARA. Then follows Agni prathishta, Vivaha Sankalpa. Then Kanyaka Samskarams follows.

In the main Sankalpam the person who is doing KANYAKA DHANAM prays to the Lord Vishnu that his previous 10 generations and the coming 10 generations along with his generation thus totaling 21 generations, should get permanent Bliss in Brahma Loka. Thereafter considering the bridegroom as the "avatara of Vishnu" he is doing pooja to the VARA.

By Chanting the Gothra Pravarams the people gathered are announced about the proposed marriage. Thereafter the bride decorated with golden ornaments are given as Dhana to the bridegroom, who is considered as "Vishnu", who has come to take the bride as dhanam to fulfill his sankalpam.

The bridegroom when he first see the bride has to chant some prayer mantras invoking Varuna, Bruhaspathi,Indra,and Soorya. The bridegroom also prays by the touching the forehead of the bride by porcupine needle or by dharba grass for driving away from her evil forces if any present in her for the welfare of the family.

After Kanyaka Mangala Snanam Noothana traditional Vastra Dharanam is followed by Mangalya Pooja. Thereafter placing symbolic wheel and Nukam over the head of the bride, some mantras are chantd. This is considered as auspicious and by this ritural all sins/blemishes of the bride are removed and purified. It is reported that Indra purified daughter of Athri Muni, ABALA, from her skin disease and made her a beautiful women by drawing her three times through the wheel, through the hole of the chariot and through the hole of the nukam. Placing of a ring made of dharba grass- symbolic nukam with holes, and placing a piece of Gold under the nukam the bridegroom is making a payer to Indra to purify the bride and remove from her all diseases.

In PANIGRAHANAM the bride would be holding the right hand of the bride by his right hand while chanting a set of prayers for the welfare of their family..

By performing Sapthapathi, Agni Pradhashinam, Asmaarohanam,laja homam, the bridegroom along with bride prays with God to give them all material things and confortable life. They also take oath to lead a Gruhasthasrama Life as ordained in scriptures.

Certain homams life Jayathi Homam, Pravesa Homam, Aupasana Homam, Sesha Homam etc etc are performed by the bridegroom along with the bride for their and their families welfare thereafter.

DHRUVA- ARUNTHATHI" Darsanam in the evening and prayer thereon are also important in a marriage.

The marriage is completed by Phala Dhanam, Thamboola Charvanam and Garbha dhana mantras and Maha Ashirvada Mantras.

Our marriage system is adopted after the marriage of "SOMAN"
WITH "SOORYA" ( daughter of Slavish ) A reference to this available in Rig Veda 10th Mandala, 85th Sooktha.

Apasthampar codified some of the mantras from all the four Vedas and created a treatise by name " MANTRAPRASANAM"


Though the above text about marriage mantras are not exhaustive an attempt has been made to give all important aspects in brief. Trust the material would be of use to you.

Mangalam Bhavathu.

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God

Tamil iyer wedding

You may go through the following blog and draw up a checklist.

http://www.shyamalnandini.blogspot.com/

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God

Marriage mantras

Courtesy: www.kalpaheritage.com

 

Mantras for various rituals will be posted as when they are collected from various sources. For a start, some of the mantras commonly used in the marriage ceremony are listed hereunder. These are randomly selected. There are variations in different Gṛhya Sūtras of some of the mantras. The page will be updated with more and more mantras in the days to come. १. अनृक्षरा ऋजवः सन्तु पन्था येभिः सखायो यन्ति नो वरेयम् ।     समर्यमा सम्भगो नो निनीयात् सं जास्पत्यं सुयममस्तु देवाः ॥ २. प्र सु ग्मन्ता धियसानस्य सक्षणि वरेभिर्वराँ अभि षु प्रसीदतः ।     अस्माकमिन्द्र उभयं जुजोषति यत्सोम्यस्यान्धसो बुबोधति ॥ ३. खे रथस्य खेऽनसः खे युगस्य शतक्रतो ।     अपालमिन्द्र त्रिष्पूत्व्यकृणोः सूर्यत्वचम् ॥ ४. यन्मधुनो मधव्यस्य परमस्यान्नाद्यस्य परममन्नाद्यं रूपम् ।     तेनाहं मधुनो मधव्यस्य परमस्यान्नाद्यस्य परमोऽन्नाद्यो मधव्यो भूयासम् ॥ ५. अघोरचक्षुरपतिध्न्येधि शिवा पशुभ्यः सुमनाः सुवर्चाः ।     वीरसूर्देवकामा स्योना शं नो भव द्विपदे शं चतुष्पदे ॥ ६. रैभ्यासीदनुदेयी नाराशंसी न्योचनी ।     सूर्याय भद्रमिद्वासो गाथयैति परिष्कृतम् ॥ ७. समञ्जन्तु विश्वे देवाः समापो हृदयानि नौ ।     सं मतरिश्वा सं धाता समु देष्ट्री दधातु नौ ॥ ८. गृभ्णामि ते सौभगत्वाय हस्तं मया पत्या जरदष्टिर्यथासः ।     भगो अर्यमा सविता पुरंधिर्मह्यं त्वादुर्गार्हपत्याय देवाः ॥ ९. सम्राज्ञी श्वशुरे भव सम्राज्ञी श्वश्र्वां भव ।     ननान्दरि सम्राज्ञी भव, सम्राज्ञी अधि देवृषु ॥ १०. इमां त्वमिन्द्र मीढ्वः सुपुत्रां सुभगां कृणु ।     दशास्यां पुत्राना धेहि पतिमेकादशं कृधि ॥ ११. एकमिषे विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     द्वे ऊर्जे विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     त्रीणि व्रताय विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     चत्वारि मायोभवाय विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     पञ्च पशुभ्यो विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     षडृतुभ्यो विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     सप्त सप्तभ्यो होत्राभ्यो विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     सखा सप्तपदा भव सखायौ सप्तपदा बभूव । १२.अमोऽहमस्मि सा त्वं ।     सा त्वमस्यमोऽहम् ।     द्यौरहं पृथिवी त्वम् ।     सामाहमस्मि ऋक्त्वम् ।     तावेव विवहावहै सह रेतो दधावहै ।     प्रजां प्रजनयावहै पुत्रान्विन्दावहै बहून् ।     ते सन्तु जरदष्टयः संप्रियौ रोचिष्णु सुमनस्यमानौ ।     पश्येम शरदः शतं जीवेम शरदः शतँ श्रुणयाम शरदः शतम् ॥ १३. स्योनं ध्रुवं प्रजायै धारयामि ते अश्मानं देव्या: पृथिव्या उपस्थे ।     तम तिष्टानुमाद्या सुवर्चा दीर्घं त आयु: सविता कृणोतु ॥ १४.आतिष्ठेममश्मानमश्मेव त्वं स्थिरा भव ।     अभितिष्ठ पृतन्यतस्सहस्व पृतनायतः ॥

Mantras for various rituals will be posted as when they are collected from various sources. For a start, some of the mantras commonly used in the marriage ceremony are listed hereunder. These are randomly selected. There are variations in different Gṛhya Sūtras of some of the mantras. The page will be updated with more and more mantras in the days to come. १. अनृक्षरा ऋजवः सन्तु पन्था येभिः सखायो यन्ति नो वरेयम् ।     समर्यमा सम्भगो नो निनीयात् सं जास्पत्यं सुयममस्तु देवाः ॥ २. प्र सु ग्मन्ता धियसानस्य सक्षणि वरेभिर्वराँ अभि षु प्रसीदतः ।     अस्माकमिन्द्र उभयं जुजोषति यत्सोम्यस्यान्धसो बुबोधति ॥ ३. खे रथस्य खेऽनसः खे युगस्य शतक्रतो ।     अपालमिन्द्र त्रिष्पूत्व्यकृणोः सूर्यत्वचम् ॥ ४. यन्मधुनो मधव्यस्य परमस्यान्नाद्यस्य परममन्नाद्यं रूपम् ।     तेनाहं मधुनो मधव्यस्य परमस्यान्नाद्यस्य परमोऽन्नाद्यो मधव्यो भूयासम् ॥ ५. अघोरचक्षुरपतिध्न्येधि शिवा पशुभ्यः सुमनाः सुवर्चाः ।     वीरसूर्देवकामा स्योना शं नो भव द्विपदे शं चतुष्पदे ॥ ६. रैभ्यासीदनुदेयी नाराशंसी न्योचनी ।     सूर्याय भद्रमिद्वासो गाथयैति परिष्कृतम् ॥ ७. समञ्जन्तु विश्वे देवाः समापो हृदयानि नौ ।     सं मतरिश्वा सं धाता समु देष्ट्री दधातु नौ ॥ ८. गृभ्णामि ते सौभगत्वाय हस्तं मया पत्या जरदष्टिर्यथासः ।     भगो अर्यमा सविता पुरंधिर्मह्यं त्वादुर्गार्हपत्याय देवाः ॥ ९. सम्राज्ञी श्वशुरे भव सम्राज्ञी श्वश्र्वां भव ।     ननान्दरि सम्राज्ञी भव, सम्राज्ञी अधि देवृषु ॥ १०. इमां त्वमिन्द्र मीढ्वः सुपुत्रां सुभगां कृणु ।     दशास्यां पुत्राना धेहि पतिमेकादशं कृधि ॥ ११. एकमिषे विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     द्वे ऊर्जे विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     त्रीणि व्रताय विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     चत्वारि मायोभवाय विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     पञ्च पशुभ्यो विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     षडृतुभ्यो विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     सप्त सप्तभ्यो होत्राभ्यो विष्णुस्त्वान्वेतु ।     सखा सप्तपदा भव सखायौ सप्तपदा बभूव । १२.अमोऽहमस्मि सा त्वं ।     सा त्वमस्यमोऽहम् ।     द्यौरहं पृथिवी त्वम् ।     सामाहमस्मि ऋक्त्वम् ।     तावेव विवहावहै सह रेतो दधावहै ।     प्रजां प्रजनयावहै पुत्रान्विन्दावहै बहून् ।     ते सन्तु जरदष्टयः संप्रियौ रोचिष्णु सुमनस्यमानौ ।     पश्येम शरदः शतं जीवेम शरदः शतँ श्रुणयाम शरदः शतम् ॥ १३. स्योनं ध्रुवं प्रजायै धारयामि ते अश्मानं देव्या: पृथिव्या उपस्थे ।     तम तिष्टानुमाद्या सुवर्चा दीर्घं त आयु: सविता कृणोतु ॥ १४.आतिष्ठेममश्मानमश्मेव त्वं स्थिरा भव ।     अभितिष्ठ पृतन्यतस्सहस्व पृतनायतः ॥

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God

Vedic wedding & its significance

The original source of this article is http://www.ramanujam.org.
>

Courtesy :Smt.Shanti Subramaniam

==============================================================

>> Many Divya Desams have references in their traditional histories (sthala
>> puranas) to the Lord seeking the hand of Maha Lakshmi, who is raised by a
>> maharishi after finding her as a parentless infant (ayonijaa). For instance,
>> in Oppiliappan Koil, Markandeya Maharishi accedes to the request of Sriman
>> Narayana who seeks the hand of his daughter Bhumi Devi. She was found as a
>> child in the tulasi forest by the Maharishi. At Kumbakonam, Sarangapani weds
>> Komalavalli, the daughter of Hema Maharishi. At Thiruvahindrapuram,
>> Hemambujavalli, the daughter of another rishi, marries Devanathan in a Vedic
>> ceremony. At Tirupati, Srinivasa marries Padmavati after seeking her hand
>> from her father, Akasa Rajan. At Tiru Idavendai, the Lord got the name of
>> Nitya Kalyaanar through his marriage of the 360 daughters of Kalava Rishi.
>> He married them each one a day and made them all into one named Akhilavalli
>> Nacciyar.
>> The most celebrated one is the wedding of Andal and Ranganatha. Ranganatha
>> seeks the hand of Andal from her father Periyalvar and weds her in a
>> ceremony at Srivilliputtur. Andal had previously dreamt about this marriage
>> and recorded the wedding in detail in her Nacciyar Tirumozhi, 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: vaak daanam
>>
>> This step is a part of Kanya Varanam, where the groom-to-be (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 Rg 10.32.1 ("pra sugmantha...") and
>> 10.85.23. The first mantra begs the elders to proceed and return quickly
>> with success back from their mission on his behalf. The second mantram
>> ("anruksharaa Rjava:...") asks for the gods' blessings for the elders' safe
>> journey to the house of the father of the would-be-bride. The mantra prays
>> to Aryama and Bhaga for a marriage full of harmony. The father accedes to
>> the request of the elders and the resulting agreement for betrothal is known
>> as vaak daanam.
>>
>> Step 2: kanyaa daanam
>>
>> Here, the brahmachari meets his prospective father-in-law. The latter
>> seats him facing the eastern direction and washes the feet of the future
>> son-in-law, considering him as Lord Vishnu Himself. All honors are given
>> including the ceremonial washing of the feet of the groom by the
>> father-in-law and offer of madhu parka (a mixture of yogurt, 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 dosas (defects) that
>> the bride might have and prays to the gods Varuna, Brihaspati, 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 darbha grass, as if he is chasing away all defects. The darbha
>> grass is thrown behind the bride at the conclusion of this ceremony.
>>
>> Step 4: mangala snaanam 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 as
>> mangala snanam. The sun god (Surya), water god (Varuna), and other gods are
>> invoked to purify the bride in preparation for a harmonious married life.
>> Next, the bride wears the marriage clothes to the accompaniment of
>> additional Veda mantras. The bridegroom then ties a darbha 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 Soma, Gandharva and Agni to confer strength, beauty, and youth
>> on the bride.
>>
>> Step 5: maangalya dhaaranam
>>
>> There is no Veda Mantram for tying the mangala sutram (auspicious thread)
>> around the neck of the bride by the groom. The latter takes the mangala
>> sutram in his hands and recites the following verse: mAngalyam tantunAnena
>> mama jIvanA hethunA |
>> kaNThe: badhnami subhage! sanjIva Sarada: Satam ||
>> (meaning: This is a sacred thread. This is essential for my long life. I
>> tie this around your neck, O maiden having many auspicious attributes! May
>> you live happily for a hundred years (with me).
>>
>> Step 6: paani grahanam
>>
>> After maangalya dhaaranam, 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 through this act of paani
>> grahanam. He recites mantras in praise of Bhaga, Aryama, Savita, Indra,
>> 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 paani grahanam ritual symbolizes the bride
>> surrendering her heart in the hands of the groom during the occasion of the
>> marriage.
>>
>> Step 7: sapta padi
>>
>> 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 the blessings 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 householders (grihasthas). 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,
>> creatures, and gods. Let our aspirations be united. I will be the Saaman and
>> may you be the Rk (Saaman here refers to the music and Rk refers to the
>> Vedic text that is being cast into music). Let me be the upper world and let
>> you be the Bhumi or Mother Earth. I will be the Sukla or life force and may
>> you be the bearer of that Sukla. Let me be the mind and let you be the
>> speech. May you 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.
>>
>> Step 8: pradhaana homam
>>
>> After sapta padi, 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, the Aswini Devas,
>> Savita, Brihaspati, 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 putraan dehi, patim ekaadaSam kRti". Here, the
>> groom asks Indra to bless the couple with ten children and requests that he
>> be blessed to become the eleventh child of his bride in his old age.
>>
>> Step 9: stepping on the grinding stone
>>
>> 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. The 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 you stand on this firm stone. May you be rock-firm during your stay on
>> this grinding stone. May you stand up to those who oppose you while you
>> carry out your time-honored responsibilities as a wife sanctioned by the
>> Vedas and tradition. May you 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 grinding stone.
>>
>> Step 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 for
>> her husband and for a marriage filled with peace and harmony. At the end of
>> the laaja homam, the husband unties the darbha belt around the waist of his
>> wife with another mantra. The husband states through this mantra that he
>> unites his wife and ties her now with the bonds of Varuna and invites her to
>> be a full partner in his life to enjoy the blessings of wedded life.
>>
>> Step 11: griha pravesam
>>
>> This ceremony relates to the journey of the wife to her husband's home.
>> The husband carries the sacred fire (homa agni) in a earthern 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 in the house and recites the following Veda mantra:
>> I enter this house with a happy heart. May I give birth to children, who
>> observe the path of righteousness (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.
>>
>> Step 12: praavisya homam
>>
>> After griha pravesam, a fire ritual known as praavisya homam is performed
>> by the couple to the accompaniment of thirteen Veda mantras from the Rg
>> Veda. Jayaadi 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 grihasthas 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 mantra 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 mantra. 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 Dhruva (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.
>>
>> lokA: samastA: sukhino bhavantu
>> sarva mangaLaani santu
>> Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
>>
>> Notes
>>
>> [1] "Rk" (prounounced "rik") refers to a verse from the Rg Veda. -- Mani
>> [2] In all these Vedic prayers, the traditional understanding is that the
>> One universal God, Sriman Narayana (Vishnu), manifests powers through these
>> various deities. The Vedic mantras use various names and powers to refer to
>> the One Infinite God who stands as their Inner Controller. -- Mani
>>
>>
>
>

--
knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God

A typical brahmin ritual

The original source of this article is http://www.ramanujam.org.
>

Courtesy :Smt.Shanti Subramaniam

==============================================================

>> Many Divya Desams have references in their traditional histories (sthala
>> puranas) to the Lord seeking the hand of Maha Lakshmi, who is raised by a
>> maharishi after finding her as a parentless infant (ayonijaa). For instance,
>> in Oppiliappan Koil, Markandeya Maharishi accedes to the request of Sriman
>> Narayana who seeks the hand of his daughter Bhumi Devi. She was found as a
>> child in the tulasi forest by the Maharishi. At Kumbakonam, Sarangapani weds
>> Komalavalli, the daughter of Hema Maharishi. At Thiruvahindrapuram,
>> Hemambujavalli, the daughter of another rishi, marries Devanathan in a Vedic
>> ceremony. At Tirupati, Srinivasa marries Padmavati after seeking her hand
>> from her father, Akasa Rajan. At Tiru Idavendai, the Lord got the name of
>> Nitya Kalyaanar through his marriage of the 360 daughters of Kalava Rishi.
>> He married them each one a day and made them all into one named Akhilavalli
>> Nacciyar.
>> The most celebrated one is the wedding of Andal and Ranganatha. Ranganatha
>> seeks the hand of Andal from her father Periyalvar and weds her in a
>> ceremony at Srivilliputtur. Andal had previously dreamt about this marriage
>> and recorded the wedding in detail in her Nacciyar Tirumozhi, 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: vaak daanam
>>
>> This step is a part of Kanya Varanam, where the groom-to-be (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 Rg 10.32.1 ("pra sugmantha...") and
>> 10.85.23. The first mantra begs the elders to proceed and return quickly
>> with success back from their mission on his behalf. The second mantram
>> ("anruksharaa Rjava:...") asks for the gods' blessings for the elders' safe
>> journey to the house of the father of the would-be-bride. The mantra prays
>> to Aryama and Bhaga for a marriage full of harmony. The father accedes to
>> the request of the elders and the resulting agreement for betrothal is known
>> as vaak daanam.
>>
>> Step 2: kanyaa daanam
>>
>> Here, the brahmachari meets his prospective father-in-law. The latter
>> seats him facing the eastern direction and washes the feet of the future
>> son-in-law, considering him as Lord Vishnu Himself. All honors are given
>> including the ceremonial washing of the feet of the groom by the
>> father-in-law and offer of madhu parka (a mixture of yogurt, 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 dosas (defects) that
>> the bride might have and prays to the gods Varuna, Brihaspati, 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 darbha grass, as if he is chasing away all defects. The darbha
>> grass is thrown behind the bride at the conclusion of this ceremony.
>>
>> Step 4: mangala snaanam 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 as
>> mangala snanam. The sun god (Surya), water god (Varuna), and other gods are
>> invoked to purify the bride in preparation for a harmonious married life.
>> Next, the bride wears the marriage clothes to the accompaniment of
>> additional Veda mantras. The bridegroom then ties a darbha 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 Soma, Gandharva and Agni to confer strength, beauty, and youth
>> on the bride.
>>
>> Step 5: maangalya dhaaranam
>>
>> There is no Veda Mantram for tying the mangala sutram (auspicious thread)
>> around the neck of the bride by the groom. The latter takes the mangala
>> sutram in his hands and recites the following verse: mAngalyam tantunAnena
>> mama jIvanA hethunA |
>> kaNThe: badhnami subhage! sanjIva Sarada: Satam ||
>> (meaning: This is a sacred thread. This is essential for my long life. I
>> tie this around your neck, O maiden having many auspicious attributes! May
>> you live happily for a hundred years (with me).
>>
>> Step 6: paani grahanam
>>
>> After maangalya dhaaranam, 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 through this act of paani
>> grahanam. He recites mantras in praise of Bhaga, Aryama, Savita, Indra,
>> 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 paani grahanam ritual symbolizes the bride
>> surrendering her heart in the hands of the groom during the occasion of the
>> marriage.
>>
>> Step 7: sapta padi
>>
>> 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 the blessings 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 householders (grihasthas). 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,
>> creatures, and gods. Let our aspirations be united. I will be the Saaman and
>> may you be the Rk (Saaman here refers to the music and Rk refers to the
>> Vedic text that is being cast into music). Let me be the upper world and let
>> you be the Bhumi or Mother Earth. I will be the Sukla or life force and may
>> you be the bearer of that Sukla. Let me be the mind and let you be the
>> speech. May you 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.
>>
>> Step 8: pradhaana homam
>>
>> After sapta padi, 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, the Aswini Devas,
>> Savita, Brihaspati, 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 putraan dehi, patim ekaadaSam kRti". Here, the
>> groom asks Indra to bless the couple with ten children and requests that he
>> be blessed to become the eleventh child of his bride in his old age.
>>
>> Step 9: stepping on the grinding stone
>>
>> 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. The 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 you stand on this firm stone. May you be rock-firm during your stay on
>> this grinding stone. May you stand up to those who oppose you while you
>> carry out your time-honored responsibilities as a wife sanctioned by the
>> Vedas and tradition. May you 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 grinding stone.
>>
>> Step 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 for
>> her husband and for a marriage filled with peace and harmony. At the end of
>> the laaja homam, the husband unties the darbha belt around the waist of his
>> wife with another mantra. The husband states through this mantra that he
>> unites his wife and ties her now with the bonds of Varuna and invites her to
>> be a full partner in his life to enjoy the blessings of wedded life.
>>
>> Step 11: griha pravesam
>>
>> This ceremony relates to the journey of the wife to her husband's home.
>> The husband carries the sacred fire (homa agni) in a earthern 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 in the house and recites the following Veda mantra:
>> I enter this house with a happy heart. May I give birth to children, who
>> observe the path of righteousness (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.
>>
>> Step 12: praavisya homam
>>
>> After griha pravesam, a fire ritual known as praavisya homam is performed
>> by the couple to the accompaniment of thirteen Veda mantras from the Rg
>> Veda. Jayaadi 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 grihasthas 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 mantra 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 mantra. 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 Dhruva (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.
>>
>> lokA: samastA: sukhino bhavantu
>> sarva mangaLaani santu
>> Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
>>
>> Notes
>>
>> [1] "Rk" (prounounced "rik") refers to a verse from the Rg Veda. -- Mani
>> [2] In all these Vedic prayers, the traditional understanding is that the
>> One universal God, Sriman Narayana (Vishnu), manifests powers through these
>> various deities. The Vedic mantras use various names and powers to refer to
>> the One Infinite God who stands as their Inner Controller. -- Mani
>>
>>
>
>

--
knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God