The Vedic wedding ceremony is more than five thousand years
old, and is still performed in Sanskrit. It weaves two souls,
two families, and two communities into one harmonious existence
and a deep significance is attached to every step within it.
With the completion of the ceremony, Greendaddy and Magreen enter into
Grihasthashram, the second phase of life, which is devoted
to family.
Our wedding will be beautifully sung by the priest, Greendaddyan
Joshi. Few people know Sanskrit well enough to understand
the literal meaning of the ceremony. According to the seers
who wrote the verses, there is more than one kind of meaning
to them-the meaning behind a word's definition and the vibrational
meaning of a word, which transcends language barriers. Thus,
Om has a literal meaning (peace/breath/all that is) and a
physical meaning in that its sound connects a person hearing
it to the universe. This idea extends to all words in the
Vedic ceremony-they all have multiple literal and sonic/transcendental
meanings. If the ceremony were translated into another language
the sonic meaning would be lost.
Thus, the performance of a Sanskrit ceremony retains the
particular sounds of the Sanskrit words, as it connects us
to a tradition older than history. We hope his small book
will help everybody present to understand the literal and
symbolic meaning of the ceremony, and that the sounds of the
chants will move us all to a higher plane.
JANA PRASTHANA:
In the past, the brides often lived in different villages
than the grooms, and sometimes the groom's family had to travel
long distances before arriving at the final destination-traditionally
the bride's house, but in Galveston the journey ends at the
Garten Verein. Today's ceremony retains the symbolism of this
journey by having Greendaddy arrive at the event on a white horse.
He arrives with his friends and relatives singing and dancing
alongside him to the dhol drum's music. Throughout the procession,
a young girl shakes bells in his ears, to keep him alert and
safe from bad spirits.
DWAR PUJA:
The groom's party is warmly greeted by the bride's family,
as the procession traditionally ended at their home. On his
marriage day, the groom is the incarnation of Lord Shiva (and
the bride is the incarnation of the Goddess Parvati), so the
bride's mother pays her respects to him. In Galveston, the
bride's mother Kathleen greets Greendaddy by waving lamps in front
of him and anointing his forehead with a Tilak (a red dot)
while the priest invokes the blessings of the supreme powers
of the universe. Kathleen asks Greendaddy to break an earthen pot
filled with curd, honey, ghee, and cotton seeds-symbols of
different experiences he will encounter in his life.
In Vedic weddings there are several moments that symbolize
the bride and groom's acceptance of each other, and the first
is the exchanging of the garlands. After Greendaddy breaks the earthen
pot, Magreen and Greendaddy place flower garlands around each other's
necks, symbolizing their first acceptance of each other. Then,
Kathleen leads Greendaddy to the Mandap (gazebo) where the wedding
will begin. The bride waits to make her entrance later.
GANESHA PUJAN:
Our ceremony embarks with the worship of Lord Ganesha, remover
of all obstacles, who has the head of an elephant, and the
portly body of a man. His large head represents his extraordinary
intelligence, and his broad ears distinguish between truth
and untruth and symbolize his capacity to listen to his devotees'
prayers with great attention. Ganesha is a kind-spirited,
clever god who is always worshipped first in Hindu ceremonies.
Magreen's senior maternal relatives, her Aunt Patricia and Uncle
Stephen, join the priest in the invocation and offerings to
remove all obstacles from Greendaddy and Magreen's lives. They then
offer vows to support Greendaddy and Magreen in their future together.
KANYA AAGAMAN:
With the auspicious vibrations established, the mandap is
ready for Magreen's entrance. The priest begins reciting the
Mangalashtaka (the Eight Divine Blessings). Guests join in
the refrain at the end of each verse, singing: "kuryat
sada mangalam"-which means, "may this marriage bring
happiness." While the priest and guests are singing,
Magreen's mother Helen and father Lou bless and approve the union
by escorting their daughter to the Mandap.
Magreen and Greendaddy's dear friend Martha Serpas delivers a lovely
invocation and welcome to the guests. She reflects on the
gravity and grace of marriage and the intersection of Greendaddy
and Magreen's lives, and she offers her blessings for their impending
union.
PUSHPAMALA AAROPAN AND HASTA-MELAP:
Magreen and Greendaddy exchange flower garlands, again, to symbolize
their formal acceptance of each other as life partners. As
Vedic mantras are recited, Patricia and Stephen join Magreen
and Greendaddy's hands together (Hasta-melap).
AGNI POOJA AND MANGAL FERA:
A symbol of purity and sacrifice, Agni (the sacred fire) is
invoked through the chanting of hymns from the scriptures.
Greendaddy and Magreen walk around the holy fire four times. Each of
"Fera" (circle) represents one of the basic goals
of life: Dharma (duty), Artha (prosperity), Kama (energy and
passion) and Moksha (liberation through self-realization).
The four in total signify completeness.
SAPTAPADI:
Greendaddy and Magreen exchange seven vows that promise unity, serving
of others, sweet speech, cooperation, loyalty, support, and
pursuit of joy and prosperity. After each vow, they take a
step together to seal it. At the conclusion of the Saptapadi,
Greendaddy requests Magreen to take her seat by his left side, to be
closer to his heart.
Because it is so important for the two people saying the
vows to understand their literal meaning, Magreen
and Greendaddy will speak the original Sanskrit as well as adaptations
into English they worked out together.
In doing so, they tried to keep to the spirit of the
vows while making them true to their own lives and commitment
to each other.
MANGAL SUTRA DHARANA AND KANSAR BHAKSHAN:
The Mangal Sutra is a sacred necklace made up of black and
gold beads. In this next step in the marriage ceremony, Greendaddy
places it around his beloved Magreen's neck, representing his
love, integrity, and devotion towards her. He sprinkles Sindoor
(red powder) in the parting of Magreen's hair as a symbol of
his resolve to keep her happy throughout their lives. Patricia
serves Kansar (sweets) to the couple, who then feed each other
four times to nurture their physical, mental, intellectual,
and spiritual selves.
ASHIRVAD:
Several married women from the bride and groom's families
bless Magreen by whispering wishes for eternal marital happiness
in her ears (Akhanda Soubhagyavati Ashirvad). Finally, the
couple seeks blessings from the supreme powers of the universe,
the priest, their parents, their relatives, and their friends.
A good friend reminded us that we should, amidst all the
wedding festivities, step back and watch the wonder and magnificence
of having so many extraordinary people in a single place.
We may never again be surrounded by our wedding guests, the
most influential people from the many different parts of each
of our lives. Our union was made stronger by your presence,
and we are grateful to you.
Magreen and Greendaddy
