Marriages may be said to be made in Heaven, however that has to be solemnized on this planet earth. In India, Hindu marriage comprises of several meaningful rituals with various types of significance. The rituals convey the values. In order to lead a happy married life bridegroom and bride should follow meticulously those values after the marriage throughout their life.
Customs and rituals are the base of the Hindu marriage, which denote the real meaning of a happily married life. A typical Hindu marriage is indeed an elaborate affair, with lots of rites and rituals, customs, traditions, and grand ceremonies that stretch for days prior and after the actual date of the marriage. However, in all the rituals and the customs that are followed and practiced, the central theme remains the establishment of the true relationship between a man and a woman, which culminates in conveying the actual essence of married life.
One such very important and integral ritual of a typical Hindu marriage is Saptapadi. It is an activity that is undertaken by the bride and the groom in front of fire, where the couple goes around the sacred fire seven times while reciting certain significant vows or invocations (one made by the bride and another made by the groom) with each circumambulation.
Saptapadi, or the taking of seven steps by the bride and the bridegroom before the sacred fire, is considered to be the rite of prime importance in solemnizing a marriage.
First Step:-
Bridegroom says
“Om Esha Ekapadi Bhava iti Prathaman”
“My beloved, our love becomes firm by your walking one step with me. You will offer my food and be helpful in every way. I will cherish you and provide for your welfare and happiness and that of your children.
Bride says:
“Dhanam Dhanyam Pade Vadet”
“I humbly submit to you, my lord. Kindly give me the responsibility of the home, food and finance. I promise you that I shall fulfill all responsibilities towards the welfare of the family and the children.
Second Step:
“Om Oorje Jara dastayaha”
“My beloved, now you have walked the second step with me. Fill my heart with strength and courage and together we shall protect the household and the children.”
Bride says:
“Kutumbum Rakshayishyammi sa aravindharam”
“My lord, in your grief, I shall fill your heart with courage and strength. In your happiness, I shall rejoice, I promise you that I will please you always with sweet words and take care of the family and children. And you shall love me and me alone as your wife.
Third Step:
Bridegroom says
“Om Rayas Santu Joradastayaha”
“My beloved, now you have walked three steps with me. By virtue of this, our wealth and prosperity are going to grow. I shall look upon all other woman as my sisters. Together, we will educate our children and may they live long”
Bride Says
“Tava Bhakti as Vadedvachacha”
“My love, I will love you with single minded devotion as my husband. I will treat all other men as my brothers. My devotion to you is that of a chaste wife and you are my joy. This is my commitment and my pledge to you.”
Fourth Step:
Bridegroom Says
“Om Mayo Bhavvyas Jaradastayaha”
“My beloved, it is a great blessing that you have walked four steps with me. You have brought auspiciousness and sacredness into my life. May we be blessed with obedient and noble children. May they live long.”
Bride Says:
“Lalayami Cha Pade Vadet
“My lord, I will adorn myself from head to toe with flowers, garlands and ornaments, and anoint myself with sandalwood paste and fragrance for your sake. I will serve you and please you in every way I can.”
FifthStep:-
Bridegroom Says:
“OmPrajabhyahaSantuJaradastayaha”
“My beloved, now that you have walked five steps with me, you have enriched my life. May God bless you. May our loved ones live long and share in our prosperity.”
Bride Says
“ArteArbaSapadeVadet”
“My Lord, I will share your joys and sorrows. Your love will make me trust and honor you. I will carry out all your wishes.”
SixthStep:-
Bridegroom Says
“My beloved, you have filled my heart with happiness walking six steps with me. May you fill my heart with joy and peace at all times and seasons.”
Bride Says:-
“Yajne home shashthe vacho vadet”
“My Lord, in all acts of righteousness, in material prosperity in all enjoyment and divine acts, I promise you I will participate and I shall always be with you.”
SeventhStep:-
Bridegroomsays
“Om Sakhi Jaradastayahga”
“My beloved, as you walked the seven steps with me, our love and friendship became eternal. We experienced spiritual union in God. Now you have become completely mine and I offer my life to you. Our marriage will be forever.
BrideSays
“Attramshe Sakshino Vadet Pade”
My Lord, as per the law of God and the holy scriptures, I have become your spouse with the taking of the seventh step. Whatever promises we gave, we did so with a pure mind. We will be truthful to each other in all matters. We will love each other forever.”
Each of these movements is also known as phera and accordingly, Saptapadi is often referred to as Saat Phera in Hindi. Fire or Agni is considered highly sacred in the Hindu religion, and as such, vows taken in front of Agni are considered to be unbreakable. The God of fire, Agnideva, is considered to be a witness to the solemnization of the marriage as well as a representative of the Supreme Being to provide His blessings to the newlyweds.
The ritual of Saptapadi symbolizes the journey of life, which the couple should travel together hand in hand. They should be with each other through thick and thin. The husband accepts his wife as a token of good fortune and good omen to start their life together. The groom vows to take care, consult, and protect his bride at all times. While the groom takes the bride’s hand and moves around the fire together seven times, the priest chants mantras that include accepting the responsibilities of loyalty, love, mutual respect, understanding and procreation for as long as they live. The significance of seven times lies in the fact that according to Hindu belief, if two people walk seven steps together then they remains together for life long. The significance of vows taken in each of the seven steps are of paramount importance and highly relevant for a successful married life of the couple.
In the first set of vows taken during the first step, the couple invokes the Gods for a plentitude of pure and nourishing food and a life that is noble and respectful. The groom promises to provide for the food, welfare and happiness of his wife and children, while the bride promises to discharge all given responsibilities for the welfare of the family.
With the second step, the couple prays to the Gods to give them both mental and physical strength and a healthy life free from ailments. The groom requests the bride to fill his heart with strength and courage so as to protect the family. The bride agrees to comply, while demanding undivided attention and love as his wife.
During the third step, the Gods are invoked for blessing the couple with spiritual strength in order to successfully perform spiritual duties. The groom expresses hope that by their mutual association, their wealth and prosperity will grow and he will look upon all women as sisters. The bride promises to love her husband with single-minded devotion and treat all other men as brothers.
The fourth step is taken to ensure the attainment of happiness and harmony through mutual love and trust and a long joyous life together. The groom thanks the bride for bringing auspiciousness and sacredness into his life, while the bride promises to serve and please the husband in any manner that pleases him.
The fifth set of vows is taken to pray for the welfare of all living entities in the entire universe and for begetting noble children. Here, the groom expresses optimism for future enrichment of life and prays for the long life and prosperity of all near and dear ones. The bride, on the other hand, promises to share both the joy and sorrow of the husband at all times.
In the sixth step, the couple prays for bountiful seasons and seeks that they may go through these seasons together, just as they would share their joys and sorrows. The sixth step is taken for self-control and longevity. The groom places hope that the wife would fill his heart with joy and peace from time to time; while the bride promises to participate with the husband in all acts of righteousness, in material prosperity and in every form of enjoyment and divine acts.
Finally, with the last and the seventh step, they pray for a life of understanding, loyalty, unity and companionship not only for themselves, but also for the peace of the Universe. The seventh step is taken by invoking the prayer and sacrifice for universal peace. At this stage, the groom tells the bride that by performing the seven steps she has become eternally associated to the groom and their marriage is forever. The bride agrees happily to become his spouse forever and be in love with each other eternally.
On taking these seven steps together and having exchanged these vows of love, duty, respect, fidelity and a fruitful union, the couple agrees to be companions forever and pray that they never have any conflicts so as to break this companionship. Having sought each other out to be life partners, they agree to lead a harmonious life taking into consideration not only each other’s likes and dislikes, but also keeping in mind the good of the entire family. They pray for their unity, prosperity and happiness.
On taking the seven pheras together, the bride and the groom prays to be together forever without having any clashes or quarrels to break their relationship and not only thinking about their likes and desires but also about the entire family.
Thus, the ritual of Saptapadi is one of the most important ceremonies in the Hindu wedding and the concept behind it is that the newlyweds pray and pledge not only for them but everyone in the family to be healthy and prosperous.
