♡♡
We are grateful to Dr. Brahmachari Vrajvihari Sharan as our officiant to guide us through the ceremony.
If you are interested in understanding the ceremony, here is a brief description of the gandharva vivaha/kalyanam.
Samanjanam: As bride and groom, we will examine each other’s qualities and if we are both content to spend the rest of our life with the person in front of us, we will both give consent to Brahmachariji to perform the wedding.
Consent received, we will garland each other to the mantras which call to mind the beauty and fragrance we will bring in to each others’ lives. We will also sprinkle water on each other to symbolize the clarity and transparency we will endeavour to bring to the marriage.
Vrinda, our daughter, will tie our clothes together. We will light the deepa (ghee lamp) and agarbatti (incense), symbolic of the light we will be in each others’ lives.
We will ask for only the best for each other, as mantras are read asking for goodness to come to us both from all parts of the multiverse. We will place them on the kalasha (the gourd marked with the Bengali swastika) when done. We will do this a second time to remember all those dear ones and ancestors who are not able to be there physically, but who we know would have been overjoyed to be there with us. At a time of so much loss and enforced distance, this moment is especially meaningful to us. That alone gives us the strength and love we need to progress together.
Hridaya Sparsh & Surya Darshan: Our hearts are symbolically united as we touch each other’s hearts to a mantra that means “I will be with you — in heart and mind — may we stay together in happiness, with our words, thoughts, and actions in harmony with each other.” We will then both look skyward to the sun, stating that for as long as the sun and moon are in the sky we will stay with each other.
Ananya will give Rajeev a tilak on his forehead and he will place sindoor (vermillion powder) in the parting of her hair. This symbolises vitality and passion for one another. We will be showered with petals by our loved ones, symbolising the blessings of all of our family and friends for a long, happy and healthy married life together.
In keeping with our regional traditions from Bengal and Kerala, Rajeev will place the loha (an iron bracelet, symbolizing the strength and unbreakability of our bond) on Ananya’s left hand and he will then give her the Thali (mangalsutra, a mark of the respect, love and dignity which is presented to the wife by her husband on her wedding day) around her neck.
The final step is to welcome each other with sweets and offer our respects to our parents and elders.