Marriages, according to Hindu beliefs are made in heaven, and once you
are married, the bond is supposed to last for seven lifetimes. It is
considered to be a turning point in an individual’s life as he enters
the second important phase or ashram of his life – the
‘Garhasthyaashram’. A lot of importance is associated with marriages in
Hinduism as it is considered to be one of the most important duties of a
man’s life. Through marriage he is paying his debt to his forefathers,
by procreating children and ensuring continuation of his family’s
lineage. Hindu weddings are long processes, with various rituals that
may take days to be executed. Every single custom and practice in a
wedding ceremony has deep philosophical and spiritual significance.
Throughout the world the Hindus adhere to these set of rituals and
continue on the traditions of marriage that is unique amongst those in
the world.
According to Hindu sacred texts like Asvalayana Garhyasutra and
Atharvaveda, eight different types of marriages are recognized by the
ancient Hindu society. Four of them were categorized as ‘Prashasta’ or
proper marriages conducted by following appropriate religious customs.
The remaining four were considered as ‘Aprashasta’, which referred to
inappropriate unions between man and woman that did not follow any Vedic
or religious ritual.
Hindu marriages are based on age old traditions that have been
translated into laws. According to traditions, a Hindu marriage cannot
be reversed and is irrevocable. The modern day Hindu Marriage laws
prohibit Polygamy or Polyandry. In India as well as most Hindu cultures
across the world, arranged marriages are still the most preferred way of
getting hitched. Consent and happiness of the families are of utmost
important in Hindu culture as the marriage not only union of two souls,
but also union of two families.
The final most important ritual in a Hindu Wedding is the Saptapadi or
the Seven Sacred Vows. The bride takes seven symbolic steps while
pushing a stone along the floor with her left foot while the groom
assists her. They reiterate the aspirations of their married life as
each step signifies a specific promise that the couple make to each
other which are as follows –
- First step: To respect and honor each other
- Second step: To share each other’s joy and sorrow
- Third step: To trust and be loyal to each other
- Fourth step: To cultivate appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service
- Fifth step: To appreciate purity of emotions, love, family duties and spiritual growth
- Sixth step: To follow principles of Dharma
- Seventh step: To nurture an eternal bond of friendship and love
There are a large number of rituals followed in the Indian weedings, so do you think there is any logical reason of all the rituals of Indian weeding.....? Although many people consider these traditions as superstitions but the rituals of Indian weeding is very logical and also there are scientific reasons behind it. The rituals practised in the Indian weedings are aimed at bringing a holistic balance between the body, mind and soul.
An Indian bride can never be considered complete without mehendi. Infact it is applied on the hands of grooms as well. So what's the reason of applying heena? Well, heena has a strong soothing as well as antiseptic properties, helps in relieving the couples from stress, headache and even fever. It is also beneficial for the growth of nails, protect from viral or fungal infections.
During ' Haldi ceremony', a paste of turmeric is applied on the bride as well as groom. Traditional it is followed to bring a natural glow and to fend off evil spirits. Talking about the scientific reason then we must first know that it is a herb and thus it helps the body to receive the best medicinal advantages, it kills the bacteria and after mixing oil in it, it gives the moisturising skin.
Bangles are one of the most essential ornaments of an Indian bride. Apart from enhancing beauty, there are an amazing health benefits as well. As the bangles are worn on the wrist, there are number of acupressure points pressed by them which helps to stay healthy. The friction between bangles and skin also improves blood circulation.
Apart from being the symbol of matrimony for a Hindu woman, Sindoor has also some great health benefits. It contains turmeric, lime and a minute level of metal mercury, when it applied on the bride's hair partition, the mercury cools down the body and make her feel relaxed. It also triggers a sexual drive among them.
For hindu brides in various cultures, it is mendatory to wear rings on their second toe. There is a particular nerve in the second toe which connects to the heart passing through uterus, the toe ring makes uterus stronger and regulates the menstrual cycle. These rings conducts polar energy from earth to body because they are made up of silver which is good conductor.
The holy fire around the bride and groom take their vows has a special significance. This fire is too strong cleanser of the surrounding environment, it takes away the nagativity and spreads positivity, it also has a very good effect on health of all the people present there.
Gold and silver show antagonastic action against germs, psuedomonas, fungal spores.
Hence, it was a practice in olden days to wear jewellery which
transformed into ornamental beautification in mordern era. Therefore,
people in olden days used plain bend and curved rod of silver/gold as
jewellery. Still, the prevelance of golden/silver jewellery is pretty
common in modern days.These
gold/silver jewellery were also meant to be worn at or near pulse
points to maintain smooth blood flow. And, inspite of range of other
metals available, only gold and silver were used for jewellery, just
owing to thier antagonism.
This is one of the primary lab studies
taught to microbiology and biotech students. Here is one such image
showing the before and after effect of treatment of labelled Silver
(Argentinum Ag+) in compound form, on two very notorious and commonly
found microbes viz., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureas.
There is nothing without any reason, each and everything has a reason behind that weather that reason is perfect or imperfect.