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
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.