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Agni : The warmth of love
The relevance of fire in marriages
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The use of fire dates back to four lakh years and has helped mankind on its developmental path. Fire transcends all religious barriers and is celebrated universally. As per Greek mythology, Prometheus stole and brought fire from Heaven to Earth. The Koreans and Tasmanians always keep their house fires burning. Russian peasants carry fire to their new homes considering fire to be their forefathers. Every Hindu household has a lamp burning before the deities. Hinduism worships nature and nature plays an intrinsic role in every aspect of Hindu tradition. The first sloka in the Rig Veda is dedicated to 'Agni' the Fire God.
Holy fire
The Rig Veda says, "Burn away from us the sin, flame out on us the bliss". Mother Earth is considered to be a huge cauldron with fire burning inside it. The Sun, without which humanity cannot survive, is also a huge ball of fire. Agni dispels darkness and fills the world with light. Fire, light and the sun have always been present in most religions throughout the ages. There existed a school of thought where in order to influence the sun, gifts were offered to the Holy Fire.
Divine purifier
Fire is considered the Supreme purifier in all religions. Christianity believes in the purificatory fires and the eternal fires of hell. Agni is regarded a divine purifier and mediator and is considered the main priest in all Vedic rites. All Hindu weddings are performed with agni as the prime witness. 'Agneya mile Purohitam' or agni is priest. Agni is thereby a supreme director in religious ceremonies. As per the Shastras, during marriage the groom has to perform 'aupasana' and the fire in which the rite is performed must be preserved throughout. Although this practice is on the decline, even to date people from the Parsi communities follow the practice of preserving the fire.
Fire is the sustainer of life and during a wedding the bride and groom go around the sacred fire and take the seven steps representing the marriage vows with fire as the witness. The lighting of the Holy Fire during a wedding itself is an auspicious act done amidst chanting of mantras. The Holy Fire is lighted and the God's invoked to shower their blessings on the couple.
Family Lamp
A bride when she enters her husband's home brings along with her the 'Kuthuvilakku' or the 'Family Lamp'. She lights the lamp everyday morning and evening. The lamp is believed to be lit inviting Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth into her home and life.
Just as the fire plays a major role in Hindu weddings, the ceremonial lighting of candles is also found in many cultures. The lighting of a single candle representing the new union of husband and wife also forms a popular part of the wedding celebrations in Catholic weddings. Generally, after the exchange of vows and rings, the groom's mother and bride's mother light two individual tapers. The bride and groom simultaneously take their lighted tapers and light the single large Unity Candle.The lighting of the candle represents their intention to place greater emphasis on joint needs rather than individual needs. Most couples preserve their Unity Candles and relight it on special occasions.
As the Vedic prayer goes "Thamasoma Jyothir Gamaya "... Lead us from darkness to light.
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Geetha Dasarathy
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