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Cultural Wedding Vows

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Hindu Wedding Vows ...

Traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies can last for days and involve much ritual in Sanskrit which may be understood only by the priest conducting the service. This ceremony is considerably shorter and is intended to be understandable even to a non-Indian audience, making it suitable for intercultural or mixed Hindu/non-Hindu marriages. The couple for whom it was originally written based it on the Gujarati Brahmin traditions of the bride's family with a few touches from Unitarian and secular wedding services familiar to the groom's family. It includes three spots to insert optional readings and musical performances of your choosing.

The priest in this ceremony need not be formally trained as a Hindu priest. He or she should be familiar with Hindu weddings and comfortable acting as a master of ceremonies, guiding the participants through their parts and explaining the meaning of the service to the audience. It's okay if the priest keeps the script in hand during the ceremony.

Hindu Wedding Vow - 1

"Let us take the first steps to provide for our household
a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious
to healthy living. Let us take the second step to develop physical,
mental and spiritual powers. Let us take the third step,
to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use.
Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge,
happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust.
Let us take the fifth step, so that we be blessed with strong,
virtuous and heroic children. Let us take the sixth step,
for self-restraint and longevity. Finally, let us take the
seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong
partners by this wedlock." 

"We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever.
Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter,
I cannot live without you.
Do not live without me. Let us share the joys.
We are word and meaning, united.
You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us;
may the morning be honey-sweet for us;
may the earth be honey-sweet for us and the heavens
be honey-sweet for us. May the plants be honey-sweet for us;
may the sun be all honey for us;
may the cows yield us honey-sweet milk.
As the heavens are stable, as the earth is stable,
as the mountains are stable, as the whole universe is stable,
so may our unions be permanently settled."

Hindu Wedding Vow - 2

Let us take the fourth step, to acquire knowledge, happiness, and harmony by mutual love and trust . . . Finally, let us take the seventh step, and become true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock.