Vivaah Sanskaara – Part II

Introduction

This is Part II of the Vivaah Sanskaara, the prayers to be done shortly after Part I and the Star-sighting ceremony.

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 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.