मिलन
अवखळ त्या नदीला
लाभे किनाऱ्यांची साथ,
जरी असती भिन्न दोघे
तरी देती सोबतीचे हात....
ओढ लागता मिलनाची
निःस्तब्ध त्या सागराशी,
अंतरी त्या भावनेनी
धावे दाही दिशातूनी...
गुज मनीचे सांगते
वाटेत भेटणाऱ्या,
घेऊनी कवेत डोहा
भेदते डोंगरदऱ्या....
पाहे अथांग सागरा,
विसरून देहभान
विलंब ना तो क्षणाचा,
करी उत्कटतेने समर्पण !!
सौ.सुगंधा पंकज रागळवार.
वोल्सबुर्ग - जर्मनी .
Hindu Dharma has advised sanskars to be performed during the sixteen principal events of life, so as to move closer to God. The most important of them being the ‘Vivah sanskar (Hindu wedding sanskar)’! The true objective of a wedding is that two individuals seek the blessings of God to lead a compatible and happy married life. Hindu Dharma has prescribed four Purusharthas, that is Dharma (Righteousness), art
According to Hindu beliefs, marriages are made in heaven and once the marriage is solemnized, the two souls are joined for seven lifetimes. The seven vows of marriage are the seven promises which the bride and the groom make to each other for a happy and prosperous life. They are bound together by an unseen bond protected by these promising words.
Hindu wedding ceremony enforce the seriousness of what a marriage entails through the various rituals and mantras. Every ritual has its own significance. All these ceremonial rituals revolves around the main one which is termed as the Saptapadi (literal meaning: Sapta-Seven and Padi-Steps) where the bride and the groom utter the seven vows of the wedding while revolving around the sacred fire, seven times.
After completion of each round(fera) around holy fire bride and groom gives one promice to each other
Vows (pratidnya) of the bride
The bride takes the following consecutive seven vows, one at each step.
1. त्वत्तो मेऽखिलसौभाग्यं पुण्
2. कुटुंबं पालयिष्यामि ह्यावृद्
3. मिष्ठान्नव्यंजनादिनी काले सं
4. शुचि: शृंगारभूषाऽहं वाङ्मन: का
5. दु:खे धीरा सुखे हृष्टा सुखदु:
6. सुखेन सर्वकर्माणि करिष्यामि गृ
7. होमयज्ञादिकार्येषु भवामि च सहा
Vows (pratidnya) of the groom
The meaning of the mantra to be chanted by the groom with each step is as follows
1. ‘इष एकपदी भव-सामामनुव्रताभव-पु
2. उर्जेव्दिपदीभव-सामामनु० ।। (The rest should be chanted like the mantra at number 1 and the same should be repeated when each mantrais chanted.)Meaning: O bride, you have walked two steps with me; hence may you become one who will give me strength.
3. रायस्पोषायत्रिपदी भव० ।। (Rest as No.1.)Meaning: O bride, since you have walked three steps with me, may you become one who will increase my wealth.
4. मायोभव्यायचतुष्पदी भव० ।। (Rest as No.1.)Meaning: Since you have walked four steps with me may you increase my happiness.
5. प्रजाभ्य: पंचपदी भव० ।। (Rest as No.1.)Meaning: Since you have walked five steps with me, may you give birth to children.
6. ऋतुभ्य:षट् पदी भव० ।। (Rest as No.1.)Meaning: Since you have walked six steps with me may you give me pleasure in all seasons.
7. सखासप्तपदीभव० ।। (Rest as No.1.)Meaning:You have walked seven steps with me, hence our friendship (relationship) has become strong.
After these seven steps, Then, they both say: "Now let us make a vow together. We shall share the same food, share the strengths, the same tastes. We shall be of one mind, we shall observe the vows together;
saptapadi is a concise set of seven promises by husband and wife at the time of marriage. It defines the roles, duties and rights as husband and wife . Saptapadi is thus a mutual agreement/agreement between bride and bridegroom clearly defining what is expected of each other in married life and this is agreed upon by both in presence of elders from both sides and society in general.
Not just for the Hindus, during a Vedic wedding ceremony, but in every other culture, wedding vows outline the same goals – lifelong commitment, devotion and mutual respect. Marriage is a bond that is everlasting and all these vows reinforce the couple’s intent to stay together through thick and thin of life, till death separate them part.
Shilpa Pandit
Aparna Prabhudesai
About Aparna
Here's presenting you all the story of our inspiring guest Aparna Prabhu Desai. She is the first Maharashtrian to climb the Mount Everest.
In 2012, Aparna was told that she would never walk again without support. Having spent a couple of months in a wheelchair, she had an option to continue like that forever or to do something different. Though doctors and specialists found her condition inexplicable, she decided not to go for surgery or take any medication. She decided to build muscles instead, which would reduce pressure on her bones and reduce the pain. Her efforts and willpower showed results. She began running slowly. She decided that this is the path she will continue. Believing in herself with devotion, dedication, and discipline, she continued walking on her way. Trekking ignited her passion for mountains. On the second trek of her life, she trekked to the Everest base camp in October 2013. Fascinated by the beauty of the mountains, she decided to go again and go to the top. Aparna started by creating a funding poll online towards her goal of climbing the Mount Everest. At the same time, she worked as a global consultant at Bodhivriksh - her firm. With the support system, she began to gather funds. She decided to climb from the north side of Mount Everest. As her father (army man) was posted there for many years, and she had spent her childhood years there, she knew that area well. She began basic and advanced mountaineering and started her preparation for her colossal task ahead. For a 47-year-old woman, neither age nor gender posed a barrier. As Aparna believed that older people are better on mountains since you need a specific frame of mind that is calmer and more mature. Her mountaineering and trekking experiences are inspiring and memorable!
Aparna gave up almost everything to chase her dreams and followed a rigorous routine for four years of training. Her self-belief, devotion, dedication, and discipline helped her climb the highest point in the world. She has been awarded "Best Adventurous Sportsperson 2018-2019" by Maharashtra Government.
Many best wishes for her future journey from the Antarang Team.
What makes you smile the most?
So what makes me smile? I smile all the time no particular reason but one thing that does bring a smile to my face is when I interact with animals particularly dogs.
What music makes you cry?
I am a fan of Hindi film music. Old and new both. Marathi bhavgeet also and a few select English numbers. usually romantic songs make me cry, instrumental music makes me cry some bhajans make me cry. Though, music also makes me smile and helps me overcome when I feel low.
What little thing makes you the most grateful to be alive?
Every single morning when the dawn breaks I am grateful to be alive every morning tells me I have been given another day to make a difference.
On hard days, what motivates you to get up and start your day?
On difficult days what helps me to get up and start is a small prayer that I've been saying since I was a little girl and it starts my morning with a note of gratitude it also is a prayer of humility and seeking forgiveness of mother earth for touching her with my feet and thanking her for carrying my weight.
How do you find strength when you are going through hardships?
I am not sure where I find the strength when I am going through hardships but yes, what helps is I never ask why me I always ask myself what next. I think it is my faith in some power above me that carries my burden.
I often say that there is a thin line difference between Shraddha and Vishwas. Most of us have the first but lack the second.
What family member do you call when you have good news to share?
I usually share good news with my father first because I think it makes him very happy. Of course since he can't hear I tell my mother and she conveys it to my father.
Who inspires you to live your best life?
Inspire myself to live my best. Inspiration has to come from within aspirations can be external. I may aspire or hope, in other words, to be like someone else but to be my best I have to search within.
When you have to confront someone do you choose to stand strong, or to not say anything at all?
Confrontation depends on what I am confronting. Sometimes it is good to maintain silence, however, if it is a value battle then I will stand strong it doesn't matter who is opposite at that time.
What person made you believe in love?
I think I am a born romantic. I grew up with the Indian army and a strong dose of fairy tales Amar chitra Katha and stories of kings Queens and princesses. I find romance in everything and I fall in love everyday. I fall in love with people I fall in love with ideas. I fall in love with nature. Even my God I am in love with to me he is a person someone I have conversations with.
Do you believe in fate and that everything happens for a reason?
I don't know if I believe in faith but I definitely believe that everything happens for a reason that there is a larger picture that I can't see right now and it will be revealed to me when the time is right.
When you got your heartbroken for the first time, what got you through it?
Heartbreak happened to make very very late in life marriage happened first. I was married very young and there was no time for heart breaks, then later when they happened there was a lot going on in life and maybe I have the maturity to survive that heartbreak.
What makes you most proud of yourself?
My ability to survive no matter what makes me proud my ability to reinvent myself in every situation makes me proud the fact that I love life endlessly makes me proud.
When in a crisis, do you act calmly or do you automatically freak out?
In times of crisis I have always found myself distance from what is happening and act as per the need of that hour I know it is not the best way of dealing with emotions however it is a survival technique that works for me I carry e a virtual suitcase in which I put all the problems tackle whatever needs to be done right then and there and then slowly over a time frame unpack the virtual suitcase as and when possible.
What keeps you up at night?
In the past nothing could keep me awake. Now I rarely sleep. Somewhere a sense of not doing enough keeps me awake some nights knowing I am alone keeps me awake.
If there was one charity you could donate to, which would you choose?
I would choose a charity that works for stray dogs.
What is the one quality you need in a significant other?
The person the significant other has to be emotionally strong.
On your best days, who do you want standing next to you?
On my best days I want to my god standing next to me telling me he will continue to carry me to my next success.
On your hardest days, who do you want standing next to you?
On my hardest days I want and older me standing next to me telling the younger me I have what it takes to survive.
What is the one word that perfectly explains who you are?
The one word that perfectly explains who I am is a "buoy", that ball that is on top of the water the one that floats no matter how much you push it down it still comes up I am like that ball on water no matter how much the tide pushes me under I find my way up to the surface.
Where do you envision yourself in five years?
5 years is very far I don't think I've planned that far. If at all I can choose what I do, I would like to be talking to people and sharing my journey and hoping to make a difference to someone's life.
What is your message to our Antarang women readers?
The message that I want to share with other women is- 'become your own priority. If you are happy the world around you will be happy. You have to become your favourite person. All the inspiration and motivation that you need is within you and you are beautiful and complete just as you are. Your role of a daughter, wife, mother, or mother in law does not define you neither does your position in an organisation. You you are just "you"- unique, individual and beautiful!