ON OUR 40TH MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARY TODAY!

 

ON OUR 40^TH MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARY TODAY!

 

A saying very rightly uttered

Marriages are made in heaven and solemnized on this earth

The success and failure of this sacred bond

Depends solely

On the two souls

Who are united

Either through marriage

Arranged either through

Parents’ wishes – which run supreme

Or love at first sight – as they say

And thence solemnized

Without even a glimpse

Of either of the two couple

So considered eligible

Are knotted together

Not merely for this life

Whilst it lasts

But seven more lives!

Which may come

Or may not come, at all

By going around the sacred fire seven times

As sacred Vedic Mantras are chanted

By the presiding Pandit

At a time considered appropriate

Whereas place is the  place of the bride to be

Thence seven vows of marriage

Are chanted in the marriage ceremony by the priest

First in the Sanskrit

And thence translated

Into local language known

First one, as it comes forth

Promise of groom to the bride of his

Thee shall offer food to me besides bestow help in every way

in return, I shall cherish thee in every way

Besides provision of everything which gives happiness and cheer

To thee my life partner and the children

Who would be born after our marriage is finally solemnized

To which the bride agrees in affirmation

On the second promise

The groom proclaims

Together both will protect their house and their progeny

The bride promises that she shall be his potency

But extracts a promise from the groom

That in return he will love her only

The third one comes thenceforth

Prosperity and happiness may be graced by Almighty God

And their children may live long

The bride gives her solemn promise

To remain faithful to him in thick and thin

On the fourth promise

The groom asks her to bring the dawn of sacredness

And we’ll be blessed with offspring who are most obedient

To which she replies with all sincerity

She’ll strive to please you to the best of her ability

The groom says the fifth times with all honesty

That she has come to his life thus enriching it with the grace of Almighty

To which she replies with all seriousness

That his happiness would be her happiness

And she will share both his happiness and sorrow

During the sixth stride

The groom feels elated at the sixth stride

With the bride

And extracts promise that she will provide happiness to him

As life lasts

She promises that she would be at his side till the last breath of her life

Thence the seventh sacred vow and the seventh step

The groom state publicly

That they are now one for eternity

She agrees and accepts this assertion with all legitimacy

As this, all is witnessed by the God ALMIGHTY

I just remember the time and the day so vividly

When we were united 40 years ago

As though it were just a few days’ before

The sacred vows remain echoing

In my ears like sacred promises

And I keep mending my ways

In conformity with the promises made

Which are made in almost all marriages ceremonies of any religion!

These promises have guided me how to have patience

While others may be losing theirs with not so promising results

And kept the marriage as an institution – a lifelong commitment

So that our offspring may also emulate us for their successful marriages

There were, many times, trials and tribulations

We together faced these at all occasions

Shared gain and pain together

Thanked God for giving us both for an appropriate solution

For pain solidified our resolve to proceed further with full determination.