[INDOLOGY] Ancient wedding vows

[Howard Resnick]

Thank you Tim! This is extremely helpful.

All the best,
Howard

> On Sep 6, 2022, at 7:09 PM, Lubin, Tim <LubinT at wlu.edu> wrote:
> 
> Howard, 
>  
> How about the vivāha ceremony in the Gr̥hyasūtras?  I think some of these could be treated as “vows” in a loose sense.
>  
> KāṭhakaGS 25.28 (with many variations in other GSs):
> agnim abhidakṣiṇam ānīyehy aśmānam iti varaṃ dakṣiṇena padāśmānam āsthāpayati /
>            “ehy aśmānam ātiṣṭhāśmeva tvaṃ sthiro bhava /
>            kr̥ṇvantu viśve devā āyuṣ te śaradaḥ śatam” //
>  
> Or in the mantras of the saptapadī rite, in which the groom leads the bride around the fire saying:
> e.g. Pāraskara 1.8.1–2: 
> athaināmudīcīṃ saptapadāni prakrāmayati 
> “ekamiṣe dve ūrje trīṇi rāyaspoṣāya catvāri māyobhavāya pañca paśubhyaḥ ṣaḍ ṛtubhyaḥ sakhe saptapadā bhava sā māmanuvratā bhava” |1|
> “viṣṇus tvānayatv” iti sarvatrānuṣajati |2|  (this says to add “viṣṇus tvānayatu” after each of the step mantras in 1 above, as in the
>  
> Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 3.7.7.11 = 3.7.7.89 in BS ed.
> (j) “ekam iṣe viṣṇus tvānvetu 
> dve ūrje viṣṇus tvānvetu 
> trīṇi vratāya viṣṇus tvānvetu 
> catvāri māyobhavāya viṣṇus tvānvetu 
> pañca paśubhyo viṣṇus tvānvetu 
> ṣaḍ rāyas poṣāya viṣṇus tvānvetu 
> sapta saptabhyo hotrābhyo viṣṇus tvānvetu 
>  (k) sakhāyaḥ saptapadā abhūma   sakhyaṃ te gameyam”
>  
> Or, my favorite, the mantra to unite minds and wills (this version from the [Gobhila] Mantra-Brahmaṇa 1.2.21, but versions elsewhere):
> “mama vrate te hr̥dayaṃ dadhātu 
> mama cittam anu cittam te astu /
> mama vācam ekamanā juṣasva 
> br̥haspatis tvā niyunaktu mahyam” //
>  
> Since the mantras are only in the mouths of men (in the traditional form of the rites), they are one-directional and patriarchal, but I imagine they could be recited jointly or reciprocally by both spouses to make things more egalitarian.
>  
> Best wishes,
> Tim
>  
> Timothy Lubin
> Jessie Ball duPont Professor of Religion, and Adjunct Professor of Law
> Head of the Law, Justice, and Society Program
> 204 Tucker Hall
> Washington and Lee University
> Lexington, Virginia 24450
> 
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> (h)
>  
>  
> From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info <mailto:indology-bounces at list.indology.info>> on behalf of Howard Resnick <hr at ivs.edu <mailto:hr at ivs.edu>>
> Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 9:04 PM
> To: INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info <mailto:indology at list.indology.info>>
> Subject: [INDOLOGY] Ancient wedding vows
>  
> Dear Scholars,
>  
> Do we have ancient Sanskrit texts with actual wedding vows? Are there specific vows for kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas?
>  
> I’m looking for wedding vows, rather than spontaneous proposals of marriage like these:
>  
> MBh CE CE 1.67.3 Duḥṣanta said to Śakuntalā: bhāryā me bhava, “Become my wife.” 
>  
> MBh CE 1.139.24 Hiḍimbā proposed to Bhīma, saying, among other flattering things, bhajamānāṃ bhajasva mām “ choose/honor/love me who am loving [you].
>  
> Again, apart from such spontaneous proposals, are there actual ancient vows at weddings?
>  
> Many thanks for any help with this.
>  
> Best wishes,
> Howard

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