Wedding Bells💃💃

                                                                       Wedding Bells💃💃

I know you might be thinking, such a cliched topic, what new can you get to read and why suddenly this topic?? So, recently there was a wedding in the family which I happened to attend and after hearing the vows, it certainly compelled me to write my thoughts.

Globally wedding is not a mandatory Life Event but in India the minute you graduate from college, there is a social pressure that starts getting build. While this has changed a lot  over the years now but still we have not advanced to a stage where this just becomes a choice and is totally upto the boy and gal in a relationship.

After 13 years of marital bliss, when  I look back, I feel I wish I were more attentive of all of these Vows and pardon me but in this blog I will mostly cherish & focus on the 7 vows in a Hindu wedding which is generally known as "Saptapadi".

Although, at 42 today, I do feel that people should get married at a more early age, enjoy life more , understand each other more. I keep telling my parents you should have arranged one when I turned 22, exactly when I graduated 😆😆. I feel at this age, life is a rat race and we are never satisfied with what we have but the understanding and trust we build in early 20's and growing together is what lays a platform for a strong relationship.

I still recall, mine is a love marriage and for me if I look back, events just happened. For most of us - you may ask any couple, what wedding bells mean to them in India - you will get an answer of songs, party, dresses, eating , colourful ambience & to some extent what I call as "Pretentious Display".

Do not get me wrong, the Leobond truly believes in the institution of 'MARRIAGE'. The point that I want to make is, how many of us really understand the Saptapadi and the lifetime commitment those mantras mean in a hindu wedding.

Atleast, at 29, when I got married, I had never imagined that I knew. I always knew more of technology than our own rituals at any given point of time. For most of us, marriage vows are too late night affairs and we are just so sleepy that I just dont recall if we ever revisit them in future. This thought has intrigued me a lot and infact I am sure many of you would have read Chetan Chagat's - Two States where he says wedding in India is of two families, two states and not just 2 PEOPLE and do we really live up to these vows.

Let me give you a sneak peak into my own wedding pheras and let me be honest it was 1AM and I was just walking around the fire with lot of sleep in my eyes and just repeating what my elders and the priest wanted me to repeat. Take a look on your own:

Infact as a matter of fact in Christian weddings - boy & gal get to write their vows atleast they get to think of what they are commiting to in future. I wanted to share the beautiful 7 Promises - SAPTAPADI with all of you here and as readers, I urge all of you to share that before reading this blog have you ever given a thought of what promises and commitments are we making to?

When I heard them recently, I felt such beautiful vows and such a beautiful culture, may be its time to change few things in Hindu weddings as well and the couple should also be asked to recite these vows on their own so that the sense of responsibility of the oath we all take & its sanctity is very well valued.

Read it for yourselves : I put both versions for everyone to read💓, courtsey Google:

1. पहला वचन:

"मैं तुम्हें भोजन, वस्त्र और सुख प्रदान करूंगा, और तुम भी मेरे लिए ऐसा ही करना।" (अर्थात, दोनों एक-दूसरे को जीवन की मूलभूत ज़रूरतों और सुखों से वंचित नहीं करेंगे). 

2. दूसरा वचन:

"मैं अपने माता-पिता की तरह तुम्हारी देखभाल करूंगा, और तुम भी मेरे माता-पिता की तरह मेरी देखभाल करना।" (अर्थात, दोनों एक-दूसरे के माता-पिता का सम्मान करेंगे और उनकी देखभाल करेंगे). 

3. तीसरा वचन:

"मैं तुम्हें जीवन की तीनों अवस्थाओं (युवावस्था, प्रौढ़ावस्था, वृद्धावस्था) में साथ रहूँगा, और तुम भी मेरे साथ रहना।" (अर्थात, दोनों एक-दूसरे को हर परिस्थिति में साथ रहने का वादा करते हैं). 

4. चौथा वचन:

"मैं अपने परिवार की जिम्मेदारी उठाऊंगा, और तुम भी अपने परिवार की जिम्मेदारी उठाना।" (अर्थात, दोनों परिवार के प्रति अपनी जिम्मेदारियों को स्वीकार करते हैं). 

5. पाँचवा वचन:

"मैं अपने व्यापार और धन का प्रबंधन कुशलता से करूंगा, और तुम भी मेरा सहयोग करना।" (अर्थात, दोनों आर्थिक रूप से एक-दूसरे का समर्थन करेंगे). 

6. छठा वचन:

"मैं तुम्हारे सम्मान की रक्षा करूंगा, और तुम भी मेरे सम्मान की रक्षा करना।" (अर्थात, दोनों एक-दूसरे का सम्मान करेंगे और किसी भी परिस्थिति में एक-दूसरे का अपमान नहीं करेंगे). 

7. सातवां वचन:

"मैं अन्य स्त्रियों को माता के समान देखूंगा, और तुम भी अन्य पुरुषों को भाई के समान देखना।" (अर्थात, दोनों एक-दूसरे के प्रति वफादार रहेंगे और किसी तीसरे व्यक्ति को अपने रिश्ते में नहीं आने देंगे).

This is how Chatgpt translates from hindi to English:

First Vow – Provision and Nourishment:

The couple promises to provide for each other and ensure that their home is filled with prosperity and nourishment.

Second Vow – Strength and Health:

They promise to develop physical, mental, and spiritual strength together and lead a healthy life.

Third Vow – Prosperity:

They vow to work together to accumulate wealth through righteous means and share their successes.

Fourth Vow – Family and Children:

They promise to raise and nurture their children with love and care, ensuring they receive a strong moral foundation.

Fifth Vow – Mutual Respect and Trust:

They vow to be kind, respectful, and honest with each other, fostering mutual trust and loyalty.

Sixth Vow – Harmony and Peace:

They promise to live a harmonious life, filled with peace and understanding.

Seventh Vow – Lifelong Companionship and Devotion:

They vow to remain lifelong companions, faithful to each other through all phases of life.

When you hear these vows clearly, you realize that they aren't just words — they are promises that hold the foundation of a marriage together. Do you not think, this is the absolute recipe of what creates SOULMATES!!

Infact in many of Paulo Coelho's books be it Brida, Alchemist or ones like Eleven minutes or Zahir, Coelho’s words echo deeply when I reflect on the Saptapadi vows.

"Our soulmates are those who touch our souls in profound ways, helping us grow and guiding us toward our true selves" - Do you not feel it in the above SAPTAPADI vows, I do and now more.

When I look at a few wedding pics of mine, I hardly recall the impact they will have on my life. Leobond truly believes that " Marriages are Made in Heaven", no matter how much we try, we always marry the one who is fated - "If he is truly yours, he will come back to you. And if not, it was never meant to be."

In the end, my dear Readers, what Leobond meant was - Perhaps the vows aren't just rituals — they’re the foundation of a bond that turns two people into soulmates and wedding bells should definitely tie back to these 'Vows' & promises for a life long commitment.

So, next time you are in a weeding or you close freind is getting married, do share to go through the vows in advance!!.

With that note, let me take you 13 years back and share few more glimses of my wedding bells 

Everyone, you will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say💓💕💓

Loads of Love

Leobond