June 1, 2014

After the completion of the Brahmacharya ashram, an individual moves into Grahasta ashram.  Grahasta involves getting married and thereafter owning a house.  Today we learned about the steps involved in getting married. Marriage is known as 'vivaha' and there are 13 steps. The selection of the two people getting married is based on everyone's acceptance in the family, Gothra, or lineage, and the match of their horoscopes.      

     

The steps in Vivaha are:

1) Mangala vadyam, or good music,

2) Swagatham (the welcome ceremony between the two families),

3) Ganesha Puja to remove all obstacles,

4) Antarapata,

5) Mangalastakam,

6) Kanya Agamanan,

7) Kamya (bride) Danam.

8) Mangala phera includes four parts, Dharma, Artha (when one earns their livelihood), Karma (fulfilling desires), and Moksha, or liberation.

9) Saptapadi,

10) Mangalasutra ,

11) Akanda Soubhagyanati,

12) Ashirvadam  (blessings from elders and well wishers) and

13) Vidaya (Bidhai) - when the bride leaves to the groom's house.

The seven promises made to go through with a marriage is that

1. there will be proper nourishment in the home
2. they will strive towards physical and emotional strength
3. they should EARN wealth and their livelihood
4. there should be mutual happiness and shared dedication to each other
5. healthy and strong children should continue the ancestral lineage
6. all pleasures of life should be enjoyed
7. there should be loyalty present to their marriage vows, mutual love, friendship, and companionship.

Also, in class we discussed the posters that are going to be made for the annual day celebration by our class.  There are 9 topics for the posters - based on Nava-vidha Bhakti

1. shravana or satsang — Listening to spiritual discourses or devotional songs related to God. - Suka Maharishi giving bagavatham to King Parikshit
2. kirtana — Singing or talking about God. - Thyagaraja
3. smarana — Remembering God.  - Prahalada
4. pãda-sevana — Serving God's holy feet.- Paduka Pooja for Chinmayananda
5. archana — Anointing God with sandalwood paste, etc. - King Ambarisha
6. vandana — Bowing before God.- Akrura / Uddhava
7. dãsya — Behaving as the servant of God.- Hanuman
8. sakhya — Behaving as the friend of God. -  Sudama
9. ãtma-nivedana — Unconditionally offering oneself and all of one's belongings to God with absolute submission  - King Bali

- Nilanjana Das