Hindu Weddings

jul 5th, 2008

i dont know the person who sent this to me; thought it was rather sensible and succinct, hence posting it.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <mywedding@indianweddings.us.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Subject: Hindu Weddings
To: mywedding@indianweddings.us.com

Dear friend:

The following message may be of value to your daughter, a friend's daughter or a relative.

Please forward. Many thanks.

Dr. Srinivasan

7/2/08

P.S: If you do not wish to receive such information from us, please simply reply with the word "Remove" in the subject.

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Recently I received an email from a young lady who wanted to know why marriage is considered a means for salvation.

I provide a brief summary of the concept below.

Marriage is one of the sacraments prescribed in Hinduism. It is implied in the third of the four aspects of life Hindus are urged to strive for i.e. chaturvidha phala purushaartha; the four aspects being Dharma (right conduct), Artha (financial /intellectual aspects), Kama (aesthetic/emotional aspects) and Moksha (liberation). Through the practice of Dharma, a householder may enjoy both Kama and Artha, and still attain Moksha. 

Dharma is at the core of this new relationship as illustrated when the father of the bride, in the course of the early wedding rituals, charges the groom not to cross its boundaries. It is only after the groom agrees to that condition that the ceremony may be allowed to proceed. Further, the giver of the bride expects to be rewarded with access to Brahmaloka, i.e. the abode of Brahma, since giving away a bride as a daana (gift) to a young man is considered the greatest gift of them all. For a detailed discussion of Dharma, you may see my paper "Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha" published in the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Journal and posted on my site www.indianweddings.us.com.

Conjugal union has always been considered an important religious celebration, defining the beginning of the third stage of life on earth,i.e. the householder stage, the first two being that of the child and the student. Our ancestors, who were great thinkers, set aside some guidelines to make sure that this institution known as marriage is a permanent one, capable of not only bringing happiness to two young people, but also providing a delicate balance so that the family enjoys the fullness of life within the framework of Dharma. Incidentally the lady of the house in a Hindu household is not simply referred to as patni (wife) but as Dharmapatni, wife-in-Dharma.