SanathanaDharma.com

THE VIVAHA (MARRIAGE CEREMONIES)

(xiv) The Ceremonies

(a) Original Simplicity. When the proper selection of the bride and the bridegroom was made, the ceremonies relating to marriage began. In the beginning they must have been very simple. A woman was given to a man by the constituted authority by which they became wife and husband. But as marriage was a very important occasion in the community, many rites, practices and customs arose, which were regulated by the community itself. In course of time the society became complex and many local and chronological differences came into existence.

(b) Gradual complexity. Marriage ceremonies had, primarily, their origin in religious belief of the people, but as marriage was a festive event in the communal life, all sorts of mirths and amusements were associated with it in the form of feasts, music, dance etc. Decoration of the house and adornment of the bride and the bridegroom expressed aesthetic motives natural to any important event in social life. Besides, we find a number of ceremonies which are suggestive of various features in a marriage. The assemblage of the people had its origin in the vested interest of the parties concerned. The relatives of the bride had some sort of control or right over her, hence it was necessary that she should be given in their presence, so that there may be no impediment. A large group of ceremonies are symbolical. One class of them symbolizes the union between the wife and the husband. For example, joining of hands, tying of garments, touching of heart etc. had for their motives the union of the pair. Another group of ceremonies had their origin in desire to promote the fertility of the union, or to ensure an abundance of food for the household. Some ceremonies are connected with the idea that some danger is attendant on every transitional period of life and it should be averted by proper rites. Because marriage inaugurated the most important epoch in one's life, many ceremonies were

performed to ward off the evil influences connected with the event. Other features of the marriage ceremonies are essentially religious in their origin. The beneficient gods are invoked for boons and blessings and specific appeals are sent to unseen powers with definite rites of sacrifice and prayer. Divinatory elements are also religious in their character, because they seek to find out whether the higher powers are propitious at a particular time or not.

(c) The Vedic Period. We have no knowledge of the pre. Vedic marriage ceremonies. Most probably they may have been prototypes of those described in the Vedic literature. The marriage rites and ceremonies must have varied in different families even in Rgvedic times, but of it we possess no records. We must be content with the information supplied by the marriage hymns of the Rgveda212 and the Atharvaveda.212 These hymns begin with the allegory of the marriage of Surya, the daughter of the sun with Soma or the moon. The whole scene is made the basis of a metaphoric description in which the heavens take part. However imaginary the plot may be, it can be safely concluded that the poets largely drew upon the knowledge of the rites they had from the practical life. From these hymns we can make out ,the main details of the marriage rites prevalent in those times. But we cannot be certain as to in what order they occurred. The procedures given in the Rgveda and the Atharvaveda differ at certain points and both the procedures vary from that given in the Grhyasutras. The description given in the Atharvaveda is more detailed. So, noting the differences, we should rely on it for the knowledge of the nuptials in the Vedic period. The following description follows mainly the order, in which the verses are given in the Atharvaveda:

The bride bearing a beautiful robe and a coverlet, eyes daubed with unguents, head dressed up in the Opasa or Kurira style, started for the house of her intended lord in a canopied chariot accompanied by bridal friends (anudeyi) 214 Her treasure-chest (Kosa) containing her dowry was also placed in her chariot.215

When she left her father's house the following benedictions were pronounced; "Worship we pay to Aryama, finder of husbands, kindly friends. As from its stalk a cucumber, from here I loose thee, not from there. Hence and riot thence I send her free. I make her softly fettered there, that bounteus Indra, she may live blest in her fortune and her sons. Now from the noose of Varuna I free thee, wherewith the blessed Savita has bound thee, In the heaven of righteousness, in the world of virtue, be it pleasant for thee, accompanied by the wooer. Let Bhaga take thy hand and hence conduct thee. Go to the house to be the householder's mistress, and speak as a lady to thy gathered people."216

On the day of marriage the bride was bathed in water consecrated with Vedic verses and a yoke was held over her head.217 She was then dressed with the recital of verses. The mother shed tears on the impending departure of her daughter.218

Then the actual wedding rite began. The bride was made to stand on a stone, to represent "the lap of earth."219 The bridegroom took her hand muttering appropriate verses and promised to cherish her.220

Then the bridegroom presented to have robes and jewels with which she was invested,221 and he expressed his rapture at the sight of the newly berobed and bejewelled bride.222 After saying some prayers to drive away demons and blessing a chariot, they started on a marriage procession.223 Verses were recited, while the procession was going round, to the effect that the bride was first the wife of Soma, then of Gandharva, then of Agni who lastly bestowed her on her human husband.224 Then the procession returned to the house of the bridegroom from where (lemons were exorcised. The bride entered the house, then sat with her husband before the household fire, covered with a wrapper presented to her. She sat on a bull-skin on which was spread the Bulbaja grass and worshipped Agni with her husband.225

After this the bride was blessed: "Let there come forth from the lap of this mother animals (children) of various forms, being born; as one of excellent omen, sit thou by this fire, with thy husband be thou serviceable to the gods here. Of excellent omen, extender of houses, very propitious to thy husband, wealful to thy father-in-law, pleasant to thy mother-in-law, pleasant to thy husband and house, pleasant to all their clan; pleasant unto their property be thou. Of excellent omen is this bride; come together, see her, having given her good fortune. What evil-hearted, young women, and likewise, what old ones (are) here, do ye all give splendour to her. They go asunder and away home."226

Consummation of the marriage immediately followed the nuptial ceremony.227 At night the bride was conducted to the bridal bed, where she and the bride-groom anointed each other's eyes. The bride invested her husband with her Manu-horn garment and the bride was told by her husband to mount the bridal couch with verses appropriate to the occasion. After this, Visvavasu, the Gandharva attached to unmarried girls, was prayed to go away from her228 and co-habitation followed with the recital of verses. Then valiant sons were prayed for and Agni was supplicated for giving ten sons to the couple.229

In the end the nuptial garment was presented to the Brahman priest, so that demons go away with that robe and numerous benedictions were uttered on the newly wedded couple.230 The husband finally welcomed his wife, "I am the man, that dame art thou; I am the Saman, thou the Rcha; I am the heaven, thou the earth; so will we dwell together, parents of children yet to be."231

The marriage customs were almost the same in the Rgvedic and the Atharvavedic times, though the Atharvavedic marriage hymns disclose a few changes in the arrangement of the proceedings. Indeed the marriage hymn of the Rgveda (X. 85) is taken bodily in the Atharvaveda but with some important changes and is extended tip to two long hymns with 64 and 75 verses, forming the whole Kanda XIV of the Atharvaveda. The taking of the hand of the bride by the bridegroom is the most important ceremony here as it was in the Rgveda, and the gift of the bride, as before, rests with her father, the bridegroom going to him to sue for her. But grasping of the bride's hand appears to take place at her house, as generally flow is the case, and not at the bridegrooms, because the bridal procession Is mentioned again. Curiously enough, the Atharvaveda omits the prayer for ten sons appearing in the Rgveda.

Regarding the ceremonies given in the marriage hymns of the Rgveda and the Atharvaveda, one thing should be observed that the main outlines of the Hindu marriage rituals of to-clay are almost the same as they were sonic five thousand years ago.

(4) The Sutra Period. During the Sutra period the ritualits

arranged the floating mass of rituals into a system and every Grhyasutra describes the ceremonies in a set order.231 The Grhyasutras, however, differ slightly in the arrangement of their matters and contain a few varying details. It was due to the fact that every Vedic family had its own Sutras, containing local and tribal differences. But here was no material difference, the religious and the social backgrounds being the same. They quote almost the same Vedic verses and follow the same marriage customs. in addition to the ceremonies developed in the Vedic period, a few new features are found in the Grhyasutras. We can form an idea of the procedure followed in the nuptial ceremonies by the contents given in the two following Grhyasutras:

The above table shows that while mainly following the Vedic rituals, the Grhyasutras elaborated the nupitals and introduced many notable changes, e.g. Madhuparka, Laja-Homa, Asmarohanam, Gathaganam Murdhabhiseka. Hrdayasparsa, Surya-darsana etc. and above all, the great Saptapadi. It would be in vain to try to trace the whole of the Grhyasutra ceremonies in the Vedas. It stems that after the Vedic period, many popular rites and ceremonies were assimilated and given place in the scriptures by the priests, who wanted to enlarge the range of their religion. These later additions did not originally form the part of the Vedic rituals.

(e) Later Innovations. After the Sutra period, the marriage ceremonies underwent further changes. Many modifications and innovations were introduced. Gramavachanam of the Paraskara Grhyasutra231b and Janapada-Dharma231c of the Asvalayana Grhyasutra were potent factors for producing new features in lie Samskara. According to he former, many items of the Samskara took their sanction from the old men and women, who were the custodians of ancient and popular rites and ceremonies. The latter recognizes that local customs differed from place to place and they should be consulted in the performance of the Samskara. Narayana Bhatta remarks on the importance of customs. "The procedure has been given but it should be followed according to one's own Desacara."232 Kamalakara in his Nirnaya Sindhu says. "The customs prevalent in one's own province and village should be relied upon in the matter of marriage."232a The Samskara-Kaustubha informs "Many people overruled the express rules of the scriptures and followed the Desacara."233

(f) The Present Form. Thus, in course of time, the religious ideology, social customs and rites and ceremonies changed. In the beginning, however, the scriptures welt anxious to record only Vedic rituals and did not, give the proper place to purely popular rites and customs. Later on, the priest were forced by the circumstance to recognize the latter. The paddhatis and the prayogas on the marriage ceremonies, that are more practical than the ancient scriptures, incorporated many new elements under the auspices of the Samskara. In different parts of India, different Paddhatis and Prayogas are followed. Consequently, the marriage arcs monies also differ in different localities. But religious and social conservatism is so strong in India that the main outlines of the Samskara are continual from the Vedic period down to the present time, and its general features are universal through the country. Generally speaking, the following procedure is adopted in the Paddhatis and the Prayogas: