India
A Soul Ceremony
Our first wedding was a deeply meaningful ceremony at Dr. Raju’s renowned Panchakarma Clinic in Hyderabad, India. We felt guided there by our future children, preparing our vessels for their arrival. While undergoing treatments, our dear friend Nag was inspired by our love and generously arranged a wedding ceremony, even booking a sacred venue. Though unable to leave the clinic, we realized it was the perfect time to affirm our union. After consulting with Dr. Krishna and Dr. Nayaniji, we learned from our Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) charts that the most auspicious date for our wedding was just five days away. Ironically, we had even less time to plan this Indian wedding than our wedding in New York! Despite the tight schedule, everything miraculously fell into place. Witnessed by our ancestors, we experienced a magical ceremony that enriched our bond in indescribable ways.
Thank you
धन्यवाद
Thank you to Vaidya Nayani Padma Raju and the whole Raju Family
For blessing us with a sacred and blessed marriage and supporting the highest form of health and wellbeing for our union and for our growing family.
Vivāha Mahotsavam विवाह महोत्सव
“Vi“ is the root of the word Viśeṣa विशेष, which means “special”
Vāha means “carrier”
Mahotsvam means “grand celebration”
Vivāha Mahotsvam means “a grand celebration for a person who carries the special responsibilities for the family life”
Pāṇigrahaṇa पाणी ग्रहण
Pāṇigrahaṇa is another word for wedding
Pāṇi = “hand”
Grāhaha = “taking”
Pāṇigrahaṇa means “holding or taking the hand forever”
Thank you to Vaidya Nayani Padma Raju and the whole Raju Family
For blessing us with a sacred and blessed marriage and supporting the highest form of health and wellbeing for our union and for our growing family.
Day 1
HALDI
Haldi ceremony is one of the vibrant pre-wedding rituals to rid the couple of Buri Nazar (the evil eye). The auspicious mustard yellow hue of tumeric represents a life of prosperity purifying and safeguarding the couple as they enter into holy matrimony.
Day 2
MEHINDI
Mehindi (Henna) is a paste symbolizes positive spirits and good luck, representing fertility. The Mehindi Ceremony reminds the Bride to pause amidst the chaos. It’s said the deeper the color, the more love in the relationship.
Day 3
WEDDING
The day starts with the Baraat (groom’s procession) led by family and friends to the Mandap (wedding altar). Under the sacred canopy, various rituals occur, including a sacred fire, with the groom in traditional red for happiness and good luck.
Baarat Groom Procession
The procession signifies an age-old tradition of the groom who would travel an average of five to seven days to the home of his Bride. Nowadays, the Baraat is condensed to up to an hour of dancing and celebration.
I See You.
I Honor You.
I Love You.
About an Indian Wedding
Ganeśa Pūja: First Things First
The Vedas always begin any ritual or ceremony with a pūja (invocation) to Ganeśa गाणेश. Ganeśa is the epitome of the earth element, and the symbolic representation of the state of consciousness in which all obstacles are transformed into opportunities.
Ganeśa, commonly known as “Ganesh”, is invoked first so the rest of the ceremony can flow frictionlessly. We don’t worship Ganesh as an external entity.
Instead, we invocate Ganeśa internally with the intention of embodying this higher consciousness of fearlessness, playfulness, grace and protection, and intend to express this through our thoughts, speech and actions. In order to help manifest our deepest desires, the utilisation of symbolism with deity statues and photos supports our consciousness to manifest our deepest desires. This is the role deity statues (mūrtis) and photos play.
Gauri Pūja: Invoking Mother Divine
Gauri गौरी is the Mother Divine aspect of consciousness. It means “the light one”. The Sacred Feminine is the source of all creation.
Maha Sankalpa during Kanyā Dānam: Offering the Bride
Setting the “great intention” as the maiden surrenders to her next phase of life.
Honouring the present shift in her dharma (most evolutionary thing she can be doing in any given moment) – to unite with her husband.
This unification of Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine culminates in a profound power of silence and dynamism.
This act of dāna (offering the bride) sheds huge amounts of karma on the bride’s side of the family and reaps a lot of punya (spiritual merit).
Muhūrta with GuḍaJīrakam: The Auspicious Time- Period Exchanging Magnetic Forces with Guda (Jaggery) and Jīrakam (Cumin)
A paste made of jaggery and cumin is applied to the crown of both the bride and groom’s head. A betel leaf (tāmbūla ताम्बूल) secures the paste to the crown as the groom presses it hard into the bride’s crown.
Cumin and jaggery are two of the most abundant ingredients that are part of nearly all meals and cooking in the Vedic tradition.
At the crown of the head lies sahasrāra marma – the “thousand petalled vital point” of the body. It’s here that cerebrospinal fluid is produced (rasa), which feeds the reproductive tissue and the reservoir of spirituality (ojas). The crown of the head is the seat of bliss.
Mangala Sūtra: Nuptial Thread
Mangala मङ्गल = “holy, auspicious”, Sūtra सूत्र = “thread”
The groom ties this auspicious thread as a necklace around the bride’s neck to bring welfare and longevity. Mantras are chanted “you live 100 years for us”. The thread is tied at the C1 vertebrae (Atlas) . The neck is the connection point of mind and heart. The Mangala Sūtra binds (bandha) the mind and heart. That is why the neck is the seat of speech. Vocal cords are present in the neck. Speech is the expression of the heart and mind.
“This is a sacred thread. This is essential for my long life. I tie this around your neck, O maiden having many auspicious attributes! May you live happily for a hundred years (with me).”
Āksata Āropana अक्षतारोपण: Imposing Everlasting Wholeness
Āksata अक्षत = unbroken, whole. Āropana आरोपण = imposition.
This ritual secures a solid relationship to remain unbroken. Āksata (whole rice or a locally grown grain) mixed with turmeric and sesame oil, is literally imposed (āropana) on the bride and groom’s head by each other. All three of these ingredients are known as āksata (“indestructible”) – their crops are hard to destroy, they keep growing. First, the groom pours on the bride (śakti first):
- Sankalpa (intention) for first pour – to have healthy children
- 2nd pour – to have healthy cattle (food)
- 3rd pour – to be able to participate in prosperous yagyas
- 4th pour – Overall prosperity
Varamāla (Garland): Acceptance Ritual
Ornamenting each other with flower garlands signifies acceptance of each other.
Even in Gandharva Vivahs, the marriage of celestial beings, the marriage was sealed by the exchange of garlands.
In the past, brides would choose their groom by putting a garland around his neck in a ceremony called Swayamwar.
This ritual embodies Laksmī and Nārāyana in the bride and groom – the unification of beautiful creative abundance that supports the force of nature that masterfully maintains life.
Pādāngulī पादाङ्गुली: Silver Toe Rings
You will see mostly all married Indian women with a silver ring on each of their second toes. There is plenty of significance to this. Only Wear Silver Below the Waist.
Below the waist is the vāta sthana – “the seat of vata” in Ayurveda. Although gold is generally the superior metal, it should not be used below the waist. Hence, silver is used on the feet and toes. Silver toe rings on the second toe marma correlate with the mind and female hormones.
Women have extra āśraya आश्रय “places” in their anatomy compared to men, namely stanya (breasts) and garbha (womb to hold an embryo). For this reason, they benefit from the support of silver on the second toe.
The groom puts the ring on the toe of the bride’s right foot first, since the right side is considered auspicious.
Pradhāna Homa: Fire Ceremony for Marriage
Homa, also known as yajña (pronounced “yaahg-ya”), typically involves offering things we hold precious to us such as ghee, sandalwood, turmeric, flowers and other various substances from the earth as well as mantras (primordial sounds) into the fire.
Yajña is a medium to commune with nature’s intelligence to invoke purification, unity and love. Yajña is like the cosmic mobile phone. It is the way in which we summon and connect with the divine. Everything in nature revolves around the principle of reciprocity. When we make a request (with intent) through consciousness, we are triggering a spontaneous phenomenon of reciprocity.
Agni (Divine personality of fire) is the medium. It becomes the transmuter, the purifier, but also the deliverer of the message and of the intent. Agni metabolises intention into manifestation.
Sapta Padī: Seven Steps
Sapta = “Seven”, Patī = “Steps”
This is arguably the main ritual of the wedding ceremony. It involves exchanging vows between the groom and bride during seven steps, with the pundit chanting mantras to further imbue those vows with cosmic intelligence and great intention.
Upon completing the seven steps, the couple are officially husband and wife. Garments of the bride and groom may be tied together by the pundit, another bandha signifying the marriage knot. Next, the bride and groom take seven steps together, from the west to the east.
Uncooked grains of rice (a small handful) are placed in a line at equal distance in seven places. This is done next to agni (fire). Agni is considered as saksī साक्षी (the witness) in significant rituals because “fire consciousness” is regarded as the purest form of consciousness with immaculate clarity.
Couple Views Arundhatī and Vasisṭha Stars in the Sky - Nakśatra Darśana
Arundhatī अरुन्धती is the wife of the great sage Vasisṭha वसिष्ठ, who is one of the seven sages (saptarsīs) and one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages.
Arundhatī is the aspect of consciousness which expresses śukra energy: beauty, reproduction, harmony, joy, love, elegance, luxury, femininity, living with intention, a charming magnetic energy and marriage that is rooted in devotion.
Arundhatī and Vasistha are considered an ideal and inspirational couple in that they cooperate with each other in partnership to fulfil dharma and playfully indulge in the joy of life abundantly. The tight conjugal love and affection of Arundhatī and Vasisṭha showers over the hearts of the bride and groom as their marriage is once more bound in unity.
Thank you to Dylan Smith and Sole Del Riccio of Vital Veda for generously sharing all of this incredible learning material about an Indian Wedding. Your podcast is our absolute favourite resource and we admire and appreciate you both so much. Thank you for always giving so generously of your wisdom of health and well-being.
We wish many blessings unto you and your family
for generations to come.
Vedic Astrology
Lexi Faith
Vedic Astrology
Thank you Lexi for sharing your ancient wisdom as a blessing upon our union
We are so grateful for all your love and blessings.
If you would like to contribute to our Gift Registry, please click on the below.
Your gift for our wedding is like your presence in our life, it is irreplaceable.
We are so grateful for all your love and blessings.
If you would like to contribute to our Gift Registry, please click on the below.
Your gift for our wedding is like your presence in our life,
it is irreplaceable.
