Vedic marriage rituals are thousands of years old and that is the reason they have the power to be truly magical. Much thinking has gone into creating the sacred rituals so that the union of two people is blessed by heaven itself. It is believed that gods attend the Hindu wedding and where else in the world can you be so joyous and so humbled at the same time.
Vedic Marriages in Rishikesh
Hindu weddings have a purpose which is to unite two people so that they can together pursue dharma (duty), artha (possessions), kama (physical desires), and moksha (ultimate spiritual release). The wedding is a celebration of this covenant and that is the reason why a Hindu wedding is witnessed by the gods from heaven and by people on earth. Maa Yoga Ashram, Rishikesh India helps people to celebrate this union exactly as it has been performed for thousands of years; so that the couple can achieve the highest level of happiness and pursue their spiritual evolution together too.
According to Hindu tradition life is divided in to different ashrams like Brahmacharya, Grihastya, Vanaprasthya, and Sanyasa and each ashram has a cycle of 21 years. Each ashram is designed to allow you to pursue your karmas as part of life on this earth. And Vivah or Vedic marriage is one of the 16 karmas that you need to perform as part of your duty before you enter the Grihastya ashram. Hindu weddings are not just ceremonies but a samskara (sacrament) as it is also a marriage of two souls. Perhaps it is from Vedic marriages that the true meaning of the word soul-mate can be derived!
Hindu Weddings in India
Hindu weddings are based on rituals from the Vedas. In the Vedas fire is considered sacred, therefore the fire yagna is performed and the wedding Hymn from the Rig-Veda is recited. The seven sacred vows are taken around the fire to sanctify the union and these are vows of dedication, loyalty, devotion, love. Vedic marriage vows are all recited in Sanskrit and just to give you a sense of what they mean two of these vows have been translated for you. These vows are taken before the sacred fire and witnessed by all present including the gods.
Bride: “My mind will move with your mind in love, like water flowing on the path of life. My life is linked with yours, my mind with yours and my vows with your vows. Let us work together as two friends, seekers of the same goal.”
Groom: “Who is giving to whom? It is love that gives to love. Love is giver, receiver, and an inexhaustible ocean. You come to me with love, and that is love’s doing.”
Once the seven pheras or the seven steps around the fire are complete they say together, “With these seven steps I am your friend, may I deserve your friendship and may it make me one with you, loved and loving, sakha-sakhi.”
The couple then hold hands, and the groom says: “I hold your hand happily, for I am your husband. Let us grow old together, as lovers, as friends, as guides. Be with me and let’s together build the ideal home. May the universe’s powers bless us and the holy waters unite us. Your heart, my will—may they be one. Your mind and my mind, also one. I hope our words delight one another. May divinity unite us. What is in my heart, may it be in yours, tied in the knot of truth. In love, may we see a hundred autumns, live a hundred autumns and hear a hundred autumns.”
Hindu Weddings Ceremony in Rishikesh
These are powerful words and woven so beautifully together to show what kind of relationship marriage is and how the couple must work in tandem to fulfil these vows. Maa Yoga Ashram can arrange a Vedic marriage for you performed in true Vedic tradition at Rishikesh. Since Rishikesh is known as the ‘abode of the gods’ it is but natural that Hindu weddings performed here will be doubly blessed. Here they will take on different connotations because not only the gods but Holy Mother Ganga and the mighty Himalayas are witness to your sacred vows. The positive energies that vibrate in the holy city of Rishikesh will add vitality to the Vedic marriage rituals and will radiate a new kind of bliss and joyousness into your marriage.
Vedic Marriages Rituals Have Definitely Been Designed in Heaven
A lot of importance is attached to a Vedic marriage as it is a turning point in the life of the couple here on earth. The Hindu wedding is conducted in a manner that the couple understand and fulfil their commitment to each other throughout their life and beyond. In Hinduism a marriage is also considered an obligatory duty that leads to the procreation of children. Hindu weddings are therefore, a celebration as well as a sacrament. This is the reason Hindu weddings here are performed with meaningful Vedic rituals all of which are meant to bless the couple so their union on earth can be a happy, truly meaningful and one between equals.