by Shrila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami
Vivaha Karma (marriage)
Vastra Paridhapana (putting on new cloth):
After the groom has completed the kushandika rites, one of the friends of the groom should take a pot of water brought from a permanent body of water — which is covered with a cloth –and pass silently by the East side of the fire to the South side and stand facing North. Another friend should follow him and stand behind him holding a rod for stirring food while cooking.
On the West side of the fire should be placed a winnowing basket filled with four handfuls of popped rice (for prosperity) mixed with sami leaves (representing Agni, for fertility).
Beside the basket should be placed a grinding stone with its pestle, and to the West of that a mat made of birana or kusha grass, covered with cloth.
The groom should present to the bride upper and lower clothes, which are new and washed, which she should accept (and may put on).
Presenting the lower cloth, the groom says:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
jagati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
adho-vastra paridhapane viniyogah
om ya akrintan avayan ya atanvata yash ca devyo antan abhitah atatantha
tas tva devyo jarasa samvyayanta ayushmatidam paridhatsva vasah
“May the devatas who cut, wove and stretched the cloth and sewed up the hems, clothe you with long life. O Woman, blessed with long life, put on the cloth.”
Presenting the upper cloth, he will say:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
trishtup chandah
shri vishnuh devata
utariya-vastra paridhapane viniyogah
om pari dhatta dhatta vasasainam shatayushim krinuta dirgham ayuh
shatam ca jiva sharadah suvarca vasuni carye vibhrajasi jivan
“Bestow to her cloth, give her long life, a hundred years. Noble woman, live a hundred autumns, and while you live, bring spiritual wealth to your husband.”
Sindhura Dana:
He should put sindhura on her forehead saying:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
anushtup chandah
shri vishnuh devata
sindhura-dane viniyogah
om sindhor-iva pradhavane shughanaso
vata pramiyah patayanti yahvah
ghritasya dhara arusho nah vaji
kashtha bhindan urmibhih pinvamanah
“Flashing like the sun, like streams of rushing water, strong and full of life the streams of ghee fall upon the fire. Like fast steeds carrying the offering, breaking through all obstacles, the ghee swells in waves, dissolving the wood.”
The groom should lead the bride to the fire and say:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
anushtup chandah
shri vishnuh devata
pratyuh kanya-nayana jape viniyogah
om somo dadad gandharvaya gandharvo dadad agnaye
rayim ca putramsh cadadagnirs mahyam atha imam
“Soma gave you to Gandharva, Gandharva gave you to Agni. For the highest wealth and sons, Agni has given you to me.”
The groom should lead the bride to the mat on the West side of the fire so that her right foot touches the border of the kusha mat. He should make her say:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
dvipajjagati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
katapada-pravartane viniyogah
om pra me patiyanah panthah kalpatam shiva arishta patilokam gameyam
“Let the path my husband treads be prepared for me. May I enter into his house in bliss and safety.”
Ajya Homa (The grooms oblations for the bride’s welfare):
The bride should sit on the mat facing the fire on the groom’s right side. The groom should put ghee soaked wood into the fire without mantra, then perform Mahavyahriti Homa with ghee:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
gayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
mahavyahrti home viniyogah
om bhur svaha – idam vishnave idam na mama
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
mahavyahrti home viniyogah
om bhuvah svaha – idam acyutaya idam na mama
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
anushtup chandah
shri narayano devata
mahavyahrti home viniyogah
om svah svaha – idam narayanaya idam na mama
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
brihati chandah
shri ananto devata
mahavyahrti home viniyogah
om bhur bhuvah svah svaha – idam anantaya idam na mama
She should then stand and while touching the right shoulder of the groom with her right hand, the groom should offer six oblations of ghee, saying:
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
atijagati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ajya home viniyogah
om vishnuh etu prathamo vai sarvebhyah so ‘syai prajam muncatu mrityu pashat
tad ayam prabhuh acyutah anumanyatam yatheyam stri pautram agham na rodat
svaha – idam vishnave idam na mama
“Let Vishnu, go first amongst all beings, Let Him release the bride’s children from the ropes of death. May Lord Acyuta agree to this, so that this woman will never lament the death of a son.”
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
atijagati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ajya home viniyogah
om imam krishnah trayatam garhapatyah prajam-asyai jaradashtim krinotu
ashunyopahasta jivatam astu mata pautram anandam abhivivudhyatam iyam
svaha – idam krishnaya idam na mama
“May Krishna protect her in household life. May He give her children until old age. May she live without absence of children at her breast. May she be a mother, knowing the bliss of raising children.”
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
shakvari chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ajya home viniyogah
om harih te prishtham rakshatu vishnuh uru nara narayanau
stanadvayamte putran shri krishnabhirakshat-vavasasah –
paridhanad anantah asya avatara-bhirakshantu pashcat
svaha – idam haraye idam na mama
“May Hari protect your back and Vishnu, your thighs. May Nara-Narayana protect your two breasts, and may Krishna protect your sons until they wear cloth. May Ananta and all His avataras protect you from behind.”
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
atijagati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ajya home viniyogah
om ma te griheshu nishi ghosha utthad-anyatra tvat rudratyah samvishantu
ma tvam rudati ur- a vadhishtha jivapatni pati-loke viraja pashyanti prajam –
su-manasyamanam
svaha – idam krishnaya idam na mama
“May lamentation not arise in your house at night. Let weeping women enter other houses. May you not be weeping, striking your breasts in sorrow. May you be glorious, living as a partner in your husband’s house seeing children, maintaining nobility of body and mind.”
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
upavishtad brihati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ajya home viniyogah
om aprajasyam pautra-marttyam papmanam utavai agham
shirshnah srajam ivonmucya dvishadbhyah prati-muncami pasham
svaha – idam krishnaya idam na mama
“I free myself from the noose of great sins causing absence of offspring and death of sons. Discarding this garland from the head, I fling it to the enemies of righteous life.”
om prajapatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ajya home viniyogah
om paraitu mrityuh amritam magad -vaivasvato no abhayam krinotu
param mrityo anuparehi pantham yatra no anya itaro devayanat
cakshushmate shrinvate te bravimi ma nah prajam ririsho mota viran
svaha – idam krisnaya idam na mama
“May death go elsewhere and may immortality come to me. May Vaivasvata remove all cause of fear. Go, death, upon some distant path, not on the path of saintly men. Death, do not harm my valiant children. I say this to you, who can see and hear.”
Sat Kriya Sara Dipika, Part Twenty-four
BY: SUN STAFF
Nov 05, 2016 — CANADA (SUN) — By Shrila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. Printed by The Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur (1995).
