Without understanding this greatness ,
today's marriages are merely meant to satisfy each other's sexual greed,
material greed, and social status and to avoid one's personal boredom in
life.
It is a sorry state to see, that marriages
are not strong because the couples involved into this sacred relation does
not understand why this ritual of life is done. As we have discussed that many rituals are
done without knowing the very purpose of it and then it becomes a failure.
Marriages are also like that and without that understanding it also ends in failure.
In Vedic tradition, this transcendence
of Ego to the higher state of Mental growth is achieved through marriage.
"Ego" does not like sacrifice and sharing. Sacrifice and sharing is
exercised in marital relationship. We will go into the depth of marriage
rituals and its symbolism to emphasize this aspect.
In Vedic tradition the
couple is considered as the representation of God and Goddess, the Purusha
and
Prakrithi , the Consciousness and Matter. Only in Vedic
tradition Marriage and Sex
is
considered as sacred and in other religions it is not honored and considered
as a sinful act.
The Romantic "Love" experienced in
marital relationship as a husband and wife is experienced by transcending
the ego. "Love" is "unconditional" and is opposed by Ego, which seeks only
conditional relation. In Romantic "Love" there are no conditions, a person
is accepted as the person is. This is real "Love". Rest of the love,
that we think as love is not love, it is only a "business" relationship. We
get something for paying for it. A husband and wife in Romantic love,
accepts the person as he or she is and looks beyond the body and mind and
transcends to the pure Awareness state. In such a state the "Love making"
they enjoy is also blissful.
Marital Love-making and Love:
Sexual act in non-marital relations, the aim is just body
pleasure
and not, expression of "Love". In a husband and wife relation where
each of them favors the spiritual growth of the other, Love expresses
spontaneously and then in their conjugal union they experience the Cosmic
Consciousness.
Why is Agni Sacred?
Among the five
Pancha Bhutas,
all the elements are purifying by
nature. But Agni or Fire is exceptional, because all the elements can be
polluted but not fire. This emans, water can purify but it can inturn be
polluted , same with air and earth, but fire alone cannot be polluted. This
is why Agni is considered the most sacred. In all vedic ceremonies fire is
used and especially in Marriage rituals.
RigVeda 85.36 “I take your hand with mine for good fortune (says the
bridegroom to bride) that you may live to old age with me, your husband, let
all gods bless us who gave you to me as the queen of my home.” – this
manthra is chanted during marriage, like this there are hundreds of
manthras.
The great wedding manthra ( The status of the women in the society
is given here.
"Sumangaleer iyam vadhoor imam pasyatha
Soubhagyam asyai dathwaayaa athastham vi parethana"
Hey couples/ sumangalees, here is the bringer of good fortune
standing as as this bride, come all of you and look at her; first wish her
full happiness and then return home after giving your blessings to her.
( this mantra is the invocation to all married couples who are
present in the wedding ceremony)
Husband telling to wife (RV X.85.46 & AV)
Samrajnee swasure bhava samrjnee swasruvaam bhava nanaandari bhava
smarajnee samrajnee adhi devrushu.
Be a queen to your father in law, be queen to your mother in law, queen
to your sisters in law, and a queen to your brothers in law..( The position
of a daughter in law in a home is clear here).
Sacred.