Vivaah Sanskaara

Preface

This is the 7th edition[end_note]the previous versions were print versions[/end_note] of the Vivaaha Sanskaara. Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati is the author of the Sanskaara Vidhi. This Vivaah Sanskaara is the 13th Sanskaara.

In this edition, we replicated the Verses and acts recommended in the Sanskaara Vidhi, specifically emphasizing the meanings behind key activities in the Vivaaha. We recognize that the original Sanskaar Vidhi was written for communities living in the 1800s-1900s and was relevant and applicable for these times, where needs and cultural practices were different to today’s societies. Therefore, certain areas are not practicable or commonly practiced in current communities anymore, and these areas have been noted and removed from the main section.

This publication is researched and compiled purely for personal use and should not be copied or published without express permission.

Any notes, corrections, or comments are welcomed at any time.

Dr Yog Mahadeo
mahadeofoundation@gmail.com
yogmahadeo@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This is Part I of the Vivaah Sanskaara. These notes are essential to this publication of the Vivaah Sanskaara. We have tried to bridge the gap between the modern day lifestyle and that of the time when the Sanskaara Vidhi was written. In some places the different is stark. As noted in the Preface, we have provides notes to the various sections in which the difference is ciritcal.

The Saskaara Vidhi has the wedding in the following main parts:

1) There is the main section of the Sanskaara Vidhi’s Vivaah Sanskaara. This includes Paanigrahana, Agnihotra, Pradakshina, Saptapadi, and other essential elements of the Vivaah Sanskaara.

2) There is a prayer section that takes place after the guests depart. The Sanskaara Vidhi recommends a short break after part I above and then the completion of this section, which includes mantras praying for the severing of old ties or defects the bride or groom has had and allowing a new and fresh start to life with each other.

3) The third part of the Sanskaara Vidhi is the sighting of the stars. This occurs on the night of the wedding.

4) The fourth part of the Sanskaara Vidhi’s Vivaah Sanskaara is the departure prayer. This takes place on the 4th day after the wedding when the Bride and Groom depart from the place of the wedding to their own home. The Sanskaara Vidhi incorporated the prevailing custom of the time when the Groom stays at the place of the wedding for a three-day vrat, during which they resist intimate activities and focus on prayers. On the 4th day, the Garbhadaan Sanskaara is performed, after which the couple departs from the Bride’s parents’ home to their dwelling.

5) The final section of Sanskaara Vidhi’s Vivaah Sanskaara is the prayers on arrival to the new home at which time the groom’s relatives and the bride are introduced to each other.

In Note 1, below, we have provided a structure that this publication adopts.

The structure of the Vivaah Sanskaara presented in this publication

In the Modern context, the married couple departs from the Bride’s parents’ home after the wedding. We have therefore created four sections for the Vivaah Sanskaara as follows:

1) PART I – The main wedding section

2) PART II – The Star Sighting ceremony, which incorporates both the prayers after the wedding and the prayers on the wedding night during which the stars are sighted.

3) PART III – The departure ceremony, that is, the prayers to be chanted when the bride and groom depart from the wedding house.

4) PART IV – The welcoming ceremony. This is the first set of prayers to be done at the new home of the bride and groom. It includes the introduction of the groom’s family to the bride.

Om Shantih