•  
  •  
  •  
  •  
 

Jain Marriage - Ceremonies

 

By Dr. Vilas A. Sangve

 

The institution of marriage, like any other social institution, develops out of restrictions imposed upon the conduct of people. These limitations restrict the  freedom of people but they are necessary for the proper growth of societal life. Uptil now we have examined the inhibitions concerning the 'who' of marriage, i.e., regulations determining who may or may not marry whom. It comprises the rules of endogamy and exogamy. Now we have to see the 'how' of marriage which covers all the proceedings which initiate the status and culminate in the wedding and attendant ceremonies. Since the institution of marriage regulates the sexual behaviour and  determines the questions of descent, inheritance and  succession, the whole society is intimately concerned with all aspects of marriage. The societal interest is not over by prescribing rules regarding the choice of partners but it regulates the manner in which a bride is  secured, the union is settled and the marriage ceremony is performed.

The ways of procuring a bride are generally divided into four categories, viz., marriage by capture, purchase, service and consent. A high value was attached to woman in the primitive times by reason of the fact that she served as a working force and a child-producer. Naturally, she became one of the chief forms of booty sought in predatory raids. This forcible seizure of woman is known as marriage by capture. It was the most prevalent method in ancient times and the Jainas could not be an exception to this. Among  the Jainas the Raksasa form of marriage was practiced in which a weeping and crying girl is forcibly abducted possibly after a fight with her near relatives and this is nothing but marriage by capture. We have already noted that even though the Raksasa form of marriage is practiced by both Jainas and Hindus, the former, unlike the latter, do not approve it as a right type of marriage to be practiced by the people. Marriage by exchange and purchase are better adjustments than marriage by capture. Marriages are arranged in exchange for giving one's own sister in marriage. We read about the marriage of Devadatta, who married the sister of Dhanadatta and in exchange gave his sister in marriage to him. Marriage by exchange is still practiced on a very small scale in the Jaina community and it is not favoured as it goes against the interests of the girl. In marriage by purchase a wife is obtained for money paid to her father's family by the husband or his father. There are several instances which sufficiently testify to the prevalence of the practice of giving daughter in marriage mentioned above there is an Asura form of marriage in which a bride is obtained by paying for her an adequate sum of money to her  relatives. The Jaina Law-givers do not approve this method as a right form of marriage to be practiced by the people. At present marriage by purchase is resorted to by low class Jainas and in cases where it is difficult to secure a bride by ordinary methods. Along with the brideprice there is the custom of dowry in  which something is given to the receivers of the bride. By a series of transitional practices wife-purchase passes into what looks very like husband-purchase. It  then becomes a duty of a right-minded man, instead of collecting a price for daughter or sister, to exert himself to the utmost in providing her with the dowry which alone will make her marriage proper and honourable. There are several instances which show  the prevalence of dowry system in Jaina community from ancient times. We hear of a King Vanarasi who gave away 1000 village, 100 elephants, plenty of treasure, 1,00,000 of foot soldiers and 10,000 horses to his son-in-law in marriage. Though there has been a continuous propaganda against the dowry system in Jaina community, even now dowry is taken in one form or another. In the method of marriage by service a bride is obtained by the bridegroom after serving in her house for a prescribed period. This practice is observed by the people who are in low stages of civilization. We do not find in Jaina literature any reference to marriage by service and it is not resorted to at all by the Jainas. In the case of marriage by consent the parties enter the marital union with their mutual consent. There is complete freedom given to both the parties in selecting their partners. In the Svayamvara form of marriage a young lady chooses her life-mate according to her sweet will and without any interference from the elders. We have already noted that because of this attitude of freedom given in Svayamvara, it has been considered by the Jaina Acaryas as the most ancient and best form of marriage. This shows that more importance was given to the factor of consent in marriage in the Jaina community. Along with the consent of parties entering the union, there is a necessity of group-consent. Society has got interest in the sexual unions of its members and therefore consent of the group is usually given through the approval of its representatives. It is one of the important duties of Jaina caste pancayatas to approve the proposed marital unions of its members and the latter are enjoined, with penalty of excommunication, not to contract marriages without the previous consent of the cast Pancayatas.

Ceremonial surrounds all the events of life which seem important to men. Marriage is on all counts one of them and naturally elaborate rites are performed at the time of the marriage ceremony. At present, though the rites and customs of marriage among the Jainas vary  according to the influences of the province in which they live, yet they can still be regarded as the same in their main features as in ancient times. Such features are betrothal, going of the bridegroom to the bride's place, visit to the Jaina temple and performance of worship by all relatives, placing garland by the bride round the bridegroom's neck on the appointed auspicious day and again performance of worship and rejoicings. Around these main features various rites and customs have grown up according to the conditions prevailing in different provinces. Hence marriage ceremony among the Jainas is not of the same kind throughout India. Still the Svetambara and Digambara Jaina Acaryas have tried to give uniformity to the rites to be performed at the time of the marriage ceremony so far as their followers are concerned. In this way the prominent rites of marriage ceremony are practically the same among Svetambaras all over India and the same is true about the Digambaras also. According to Svetambaras there are 26 main rites in their marriage ceremony as follows :

 

1. Matrkasthapana

2. Saptakulakarasthapana

3. Varaghodano Santimantra

4. Hastamelapa

5. Agnisthapana

6. Homa

7. Prathamabhisheka

8. Gotroccara

9. Mandapavedipratistha

10. Toranapratishtha

11. Agnipradaksina

12. Kanyadana

13. Vasaksepa

14. Dvitiyabhiseka

15. Karamocana

16. Asirvada

 

For Digambaras the following twenty  rites are  prescribed as a part of their marriage ceremony, viz :

 

1. Vagdana

2. Vinayakvidhana

3. Kankanabandhana

4. Grhasamskara

5. Toranavidhi

6. Vivahavidhi

7. Parasparamukhavalokana

8. Varamala

9. Varapratijna

10. Kanyadana

11. Devasastragurupuja

12. Homahuti

13. Granthibandhana

14. Panigrahana

15. Saptapadi

16. Punyahavachana

17. Santimantra

18. Asirvada

19. Svagrhagamana

20. Jinagrhe Dhanarpana

 

Even though these twenty items are included in the Digambara marriage ceremony, the following five are considered to be the main parts of the marriage ceremony, viz., Vagdana, Pradana,Varana, Panipidana and Saptamadi. Vagdana is the engagement which  takes place generally one month before the marriage ceremony. In this rite the bride's father makes an offer to the bridegroom's father in the presence of relatives and friends of both the parties and the latter accepts the offer. It consitutes an open pledge by both the parties. Pradana means the presentation of ornaments by the bridegroom's father to the bride sometime before the actual marriage ceremony. Varana is the Kanyadana, i. e., the gift of the bride by her father. At the time of the marriage ceremony both the bridegroom and the bride's father ask permission of  the assembled persons to give their consent to the peoposed union. When the group consent is received, the Varana rite is completed. Panipidana or Panigrahana is the joining of the hands together of bride and bridegroom. In this rite the bride's father giving the right hand of the bride in the right hand of the bridegroom asks a promise from him that he would protect her by Dharma, Artha and Kama and the bridegroom gives that promise. Saptapadi is the circumambulation of the sacred fire. The Saptapadi must necessarily be performed in the marriage ceremony, because unless the Saptapadi is performed, marriage cannot be said to be complete. The Saptapadi has been considered so essential that the girl assumes the title of wife only when all the seven rounds are completed. The Saptapadi is the culmination of the marriage ceremony in the sense that even after Panipidana, i. e., joining of the hands, the saptapadi has not taken place and some defect is discovered in the bridegroom, the father of the girl can marry her to another person. When the bridal pair does the circumambulation of sacred fire seven times, each time both the bride and the bridegroom have to desire that they will attain in succession, the Saptaparamasthana, i. e., the seven high  states in life, viz., (1) Sajjatitva, good society; (2) Sadgrahasthatva, good household state; (3) Sadhutva, ascetic state; (4) Indratva, Indra State, (5) Cakravartitva, emperor state; (6) Jinavaratva, the state of Lord Jina, i. e., one who has conquered all enemies; and (7) Nirvana, complete salvation. Before the marriage ceremony is over, the husband was required to promise, as a part of the nuptial contract, that he would not engage in fun and frolic with other woman; that he would not visit immoral women's abodes; that he would not gamble; that he would provide for and protect the bride by earning an honourable living; that he would not oppose her visiting suitable and proper places, such as a place of pilgrimage, temple, etc.; that he would have no secrets from her; and, lastly, that he would not reveal her secrets to any one. The wife also was required to make the following seven promises : that  she would respect and honour and serve his parents; that she would not disobey him (in all the really serious matters of life); that she would refrain from bitter and harsh speech; that she would not be sullen or sulky  when visited by Holy Men and Women; that she would not go to another man's house at night, nor get mixed up with a crowd of men, and that she would not go to the houses of drunkards and immoral persons. Sometimes these promises are made after the sixth round and before the seventh round of the circum ambulation of the sacred fire.

Let us now compare the Jaina and Hindu rites and ceremonies performed at the 'vivaha', i. e., actual marriage ceremony.

(i) In describing the ceremonies and rituals connected with the 'vivaha', all the Hindu texts concerned refer to the bride as being given away by the father or her guardian in the family, who invites the bridegroom. The bridegroom goes to the bride's home where the 'vivaha' is to take place. The Jainas consider that a bride be given by her father to a bridegroom. It is in the nature of a gift or dana. We have seen that the most prevalent forms of marriage among the Jainas at present are Brahma and Prajapatya and in both these forms a bride is given as a gift to the bridegroom by her father. Further, marriage ceremony is to be performed by the Jainas at the bride's place and after the ceremony is over, the bride is brought by the bridegroom to his own house.

(ii) Among the Hindus, like the Jainas, there are variations in the observation of wedding rites with people of different regions and villages. Of these rites, the commonly accepted by all are as follows : The Kanyadana, the Vivahahoma, the Panigrahana, the Agniparinayana, the Asmarohana, the Lajahoma and the Saptapadi. According to Hindu Vivaha system a marriage is not regarded as complete unless and untill rites of Panigrahana and the Saptapadi are performed. Though the Jaina system of marriage varies from region to region, we have noted the commonly followed rites among the Svetambaras and Digambaras and it may be observed that both the sections of Jaina regard the rites among the Svetambaras and Digambaras and it may be observed that both the sections of Jainas regard the rites of Panigrahana (or Hastamilapa) and Saptapadi (or Agnipradaksina) as the indispensable rites in the marriage ceremony. Both the rites are meant to impress upon the minds of the bridal pair the ultimate aim of marriage. The spectacular observance of Saptapadi is something which participants cannot be expected to forget while they live. Here a physical fire is used as a symbol of an inner fire, the fire of renunciation, that sanctifies and makes holy. When the wedding couple go round the Sacred Fire, in circum ambulation, they are required to impress it on their minds that not pleasure seeking, but salvation, through renunciation, is the ideal of life. The officiating Priest is required to address the bridal pair at this time and has to impress upon their minds that the aim of life is not the wasting of it in the joys and thrills of sense gratification, but the burning up of the seed of sin by the Fire of Renunciation.

 

-----------------------------------------------------

From : Jain Religion & Community

-----------------------------------------------------

Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
R261208