Search:
Bhakti List Archives

ThirukkalyANa MahOthsavam 7.2

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • April 15, 1998 


MangaLa SnAnam & wearing of the Koorai Pudavai
***********************************************
After NischiyathArtham and reciting of the four 
manthrAs referred to in the previous posting ,
Sri RanganAthA prepared ANDAL for the mangaLa 
snAnam and the wearing of the new wedding saree .

The five  Veda manthrams used for the ritual bathing
( mangala snAnam ) of the bride are addressed to 
SavithA dEvan , Sooryan , VaruNan , dEvAs and
holy waters .

Japam is made with these manthrams and the sanctified water
resulting from that japam is used to bathe the bride . 

The first manthram 
*******************

hiraNya varNA : suchaya: paavkA : prachakramurhithvA 
avadhyamApa: I satham pavithrA vidhathAhyAsu tApishtvA 
dEvassavithA punAthu II

Oh Bride ! May  the SavithA bhagavAn purify you with
these waters that are golden in color and are pure .
They remove the blemishes on contact and banish
any dhoshams in the bride .Hundreds of sanctified 
and auspicious objects emanate in this world because of 
these sacred waters .

The Second manthram 
********************

hiraNyavarNA: sucha: paavakA : yaasu jaatha 
kasyapO yAsvagni: I 
yaa Agnim garbham dhadhirE suvarNAs taastha 
aapas saggusyOnA bhavanthu II

May those waters that hold inside them Agni ,
may those waters from which Sooryan emerges ,
may those waters from which Agni arises ,
may those sacred and golden waters confer 
on you sukham and concordant life with 
your bridegroom !

Third manthram 
***************

yaasAgum rAjO VaruNO yaathi madhyE sadhyAnruthE
avapasyan janAnAm I 
yaa Agnim garbham dhadhirE suvarNAs taastha 
aapa: saggusyAnO bhavanthu II

May VaruNA , the king of waters , who moves amidst 
people witnessing their good and bad deeds , may 
those fair colored waters associated with VaruNA 
containing Agni inside them grant you sukham and 
auspicious union with your bridegroom .

Fourth manthram
****************

yaasAm dEvA dhivi gruNvanthi paksham yaa
antharikshE bahudhA nivishtA I 
yaa Agnim garbham dhadhirE suvarNAs taastha aapa:
saggusyOnA bahvanthu II

May those waters selected by the dEvAs containing
Agni inside them for the consumption of the celestial 
beings and may those dEvAs positioned in the interspace
between the earth and the sky bless you to
realize sukham and happy union with your bridegroom . 

Fifth manthram 
***************

Oh bride ! May these auspicious waters cast their 
benovolent glances in your direction !May they touch 
the skin covering your body with their auspicious 
forms ! May these pure waters that soften ghee 
confer on you sukham and concordance with your
beloved one .

The reference to Agni residing inside water has 
been elaborately dealt with in the earlier 
Soorya NaarAyaNa manthrA postings .

Wearing of Koorai pudavai after Mangala SnAnam 
***********************************************

The bride now wears the new wedding saaree to
the acoompaniment of the Rg vEda manthram( I.10.12):

pari tvA girvaNO gira imA bhavanthu visvatha: I
vruddhAyumanu vruddhayO jushtA bhavanthu jushtaya : II

Oh Lord IndrA ! You are reached by auspicious sounds .
Just as the new saaree covers the body of this bride ,
may our salutations cover you intimately . May our praise
couched in words with artha pushti reach You ! May 
those words of praise become objects of your joy ! 

The Veda Manthrams have many layers of meanings .
The very same manthram quoted above changes meaning ,
when they are addressed to the very same IndrA in 
another context :

May our eulogies and invocations spread far and wide !
may they celebrate your glory all around and may your 
blessed devotees dedicate their lives to making the world
happy and prosperous ! 

The tying of the waist of the bride with darbha rope
*****************************************************

After the bride came back to the wedding canopy 
then Sri RanganAthA repeated the manthrams
recited by the purohithar, chathurmuka BhrammA :

aasAsathA soumanasam prajAgum soubhAgyam tanUm I
AgnEranuvrathA bhoothvA sathnahyE sukruthAya gam II

( Meaning ) :This bride ( GodhA dEvi ) stands in front of 
Agni with a pure mind and is praying for a blemishless mind,
good children , the state of soumAngalyam and a disease -free
body and is ready to follow her bridegroom ( RanganAthA )
to perform the agni samskaarams prescribed for gruhasthAs .
I tie this dharbhA rope around her waist for the purpose
of the auspicious ceremony of marriage .

Seating of the bride and the bridegroom in front of the Agni
*************************************************************

Next , Sri RanganAthA took the right hand of His bride and 
led Her to the western side of the sacred Agni guNtam and  
seated Her on a new mat ( pattu paai ) on the southern side and 
then seated Himself on the northern side of theb mat .
Now , the purOhithar recited the Rg vEda manthram ( 10.85-26)
inviting GodhA piratti to be the head of the household 
of Sri RanganAthA :

pUshA tvEthO nayathu hastha gruhyAsvinA tvA pra vahathAm rathEna I
gruhAn gaccha gruhapathnee yathAsO vasinI tvam vidhathamA vadhAsi II

( Meaning ) : May pUshA ( one of the 12 forms of SUryan ) give 
You his hand and lead You by showing the way to Your new house.
May Thou be carried by the Asvini dEvAs in a covered 
wagon to the house of Sri RanganAthA .May Thou become 
the queen of that household and become the aandu aaLum ANDAL 
and conduct all the auspicious rituals prescribed for gruhasthAs !

*** ANDAL's own description of the MangaLa snAnam 
and the entry to the wedding hall :

BhrammA , PeriyAzhwAr , saptha rishis and the other
assembled Veda sirOmaNis recited the udaga sAnthi 
manthrAs and sanctified the waters assembled from
the four corners of Bharatha dEsam .Then they sprinkled 
those sanctified waters on ANDAL's head and united Her hand
with that of Her Lord with a kankaNam ( Kaapu/RakshA
Bhandham). ANDAL describes this beautiful scene 
in the next Paasuram :

nARRisait theerthang koNarnthu nani nalki
pArppanacchittargaL pallAr yedutthEtthip
pUpunai kaNNip punithanOdu yenrennaik
kAppu nANN kattak kanAk kanDEn thozhI naan 

In Her Next Paasuram , ANDAL describes how she was 
led to the kalyANa mantapam by beautiful young
damsels ,some carrying auspicious lamps with lustre 
equal to that of the rays of the Sun and others holding 
golden kalasams in their hands :

kathiroLi dheepam kalsamudan yEnthi
chathirLa mangayar taam vanthu yethir koLLa 
MathurayAr mannan adi nilai thottu , yengum
athirappuhuthak kanAk kanDen thOzhi nAnn 

We will continue in the next posting the 
Maangalya DhAraNam , PaaNigrahaNam and 
the sapthapathi functions .

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan 

P.S : May I request all-the Sri ANDAL-Sri RanganAthA
wedding participants-to send your sambhAvanAs ( Pledges
of support for the Bricks of their temple ) at your
earliest convenience to :

Sri RanganAthA Temple 
P.O Box 120, POMONA , NY 10970

We have to remember that Sri RanganAyaki SamEtha Sri RanganAthA
is AadhimUlam . There are no AzhwArs without Him ; there are 
no AchAryAs without Him .There is no Sri VaishNavam 
with out this VishNu ( all pervader ) .We need your
generous help for this extraordinary kaimkaryam . 
Please come forward with your generous support 
and receive the blessings of the Divya Dampathis ! 
Thanks very much .