THE SEVEN VOWS OF A HINDU MARRIAGE
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A marriage is the sacrosanct coming together of two individuals to live together, for each other, raise a family together and meet the responsibilities to each other, their families, their children and their home together. The seven vows of the Hindu marriage capture this in letter and spirit. Also known as ‘saathphere’ (wherein the bride and groom walk around the scared fire seven times at the wedding venue), the seven vows are what the man and the woman promise each other through a series of chants, for a happy and prosperous life ahead. The seven vows and the couple walking hand in hand around the holy fire make for a truly heart-warming scene at every wedding and wedding hall.
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Let’s understand the Seven Sacred Vows of Marriage.
The First Vow:
The vows start with the groom telling his bride, “omeshaekapadibhavaitiprathaman”, the essence of which is ‘You will offer me food and be helpful in every way. I will cherish you and provide welfare and happiness for you and our children’. The bride would then say, ‘dhanamdhanyampadevadet” meaning, ‘I am responsible for the home and all household, food and finance responsibilities’.The Second Vow:
The groom says “omoorjejaradastayaha”, meaning ‘Together we will protect our house and children’ to which the bride promises, “kutumburnrakshayishyammisaaravindharam”, which roughly translates as ‘I will be by your side as your courage and strength. I will rejoice in your happiness. In return, you will love me solely’. The Third Vow:
For the third vow, the groom says, “omrayassantujoradastayaha”, meaning ‘May we grow wealthy and prosperous and strive for the education of our children and may our children live longer’ in return to which the bride promises, “tava bhakti as vadedvachacha”, meaning ‘I will love you solely for the rest of my life, as you are my husband. Every other man in my life will be secondary. I vow to remain chaste’. The Fourth Vow:
The fourth vow is the groom’s declaration “om mayo bhavyasjaradastaya ha” meaning ‘You have brought sacredness into my life, and have completed me. May be we will bless with noble and obedient children’ to which the bride replies, “lalayami cha padevadet”, meaning ‘I will shower you with joy, from head to toe. I will strive to please you in every way I can’.The Fifth Vow:
With that, they move on to the fifth vow, the groom says, “omprajabhyahasantujaradastayaha”, meaning ‘You are my best friend, and staunchest well-wisher. You have come into my life, enriching it. God bless you’. The bride promises to love, cherish and honour him for as long as she lives, with the words, “arte arbasapadevadet”.The Sixth Vow:
The sixth vow is an affirmation and question by the groom - “Rutubhyah shat padibhava” asking her if she will do him the kindness of filling his heart with happiness like this day for all times to which she will vow to be by his side sealing it with the words, “yajnahomshashthevachovadet”.The Seventh Vow:
In the final and binding vow, the groom asserts that they now belong to each other for eternity as husband and wife, by pronouncing the words, “Om sakhijaradastayahga” to which she gracefully adds that, with the Gods as her witness, she accepts to be his wife and vouches to love, honour and cherish each other forever.
So these 7 beautiful vows serve as an anchor to keep the couple going through all their good and bad time together. Even though every culture and religion has its own set of vows but the literal meaning remains the same, to be spiritually united as one for their rest of their life.
Start this new journey with your better half keeping these vows in mind and have a beautiful life ahead!
