Tattva

मांगलयम् तंतुनानेना मम जीवन् हेथुनाकंठे बधनामि शुभगे संजीवा षरदः षतम्

māṁgalayam taṁtunāanenā mama jīvan hethunākaṁṭhe badhanāmi śubhage saṁjīīvā ṣaradaḥ ṣatam

Rig Veda, Section 10, Verse 85

Do the above lines seem familiar to you ? Chances are that you have heard them uttered at a marriage ceremony, when the groom ties the managalasutra around the neck of his bride. You might have heard them in the opening strains of a popular song set to tune by A.R.Rahman, the well-known Indian music director!

Ever wondered what they mean ? Let us look at the translation first:“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)”

The Vedic mantras play a key role in every step of the traditional Hindu marriage. The mantras for this ceremony come mostly from the verses housed in the tenth mandala of the Rig Veda, where Suryaa, the daughter of the sun God, is given in marriage to a bridegroom by the name of Soma. Isn’t it truly marvelous that this mantra has been read at every Hindu marriage uninterrupted and unchanged from the Vedic era up to today?

Source: http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/rituals/sacraments/marriage_mantras.html

Ravi Kiran is a PhD student at the Computer Science Department at University of Washington. You can reach him at kiran@cs.washington.edu

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