For centuries India is known for its diverse and rich cultural heritage. In spite of its diverse culture, one thing that is very common amongst all Hindu’s is the way they perform their marriages. Obviously leaving apart some minor differences depending on the particular caste or community, Seven Pheras or Vows are never skipped by any Hindu marriage. This is part of the traditional Hindu marriage and it is only after the seven rounds of fire that the bride and the groom are considered to be married.
There are times when parents or relatives do not accept love marriages: at that time the bride and the groom prefer neglecting other traditions and just taking seven pheras by revolving around the sacred fire in front of the holy priest who recites holy mantras in the temple, which means that the God is the only witness of their marriage.
Seven pheras symbolizes seven Vows made by both bride and groom, promising to stay together in good and bad times and making their marriage a successful institution. It is not just seven rounds, these are the rounds that signify that now on the bride and the groom need to walk together and face all the difficulties together and celebrate the happiness together. The seven rounds also signifies their bond for the next seven births. It is this eternal bon that is reflected in the wedding invitations and it is oftentimes written that the bride and the groom will be uniting for age with the marriage.
Let us have a detailed look, on what each Vow taken by the bride and groom means and how does it binds two people into one entity:
1st Vow:
Groom: I promise you and our children to provide with wealth and happiness for the entire life.
Bride: I shall take care of all the homely responsibilities.
2nd Vow:
Groom: We shall protect our marriage and children.
Bride: I shall be your backbone.
3rd Vow:
Groom: We may work hard to provide our children with education and all the happiness in the world.
Bride: You are my priority to all other men.
4th Vow:
Groom: You complete my life.
Bride: I shall conspire to satisfy u in every possible way.
5th Vow:
Groom: You enriched my life with love and happiness. Be my best friend all my life.
Bride: I have nothing, but trust and respect for you. I promise to be with u in both good as well as bad times and shower loads and loads of love on you.
6th Vow:
Groom: May you live a peaceful and contended life.
Bride: I shall be your strength all your life.
7th vow:
Groom: We are two bodies, one soul from now, forever and ever and ever.
Bride: In front of almighty, I promise to take you as my husband not only in this birth but in all other incarnations. So beautiful and serene these vows are. Every Hindu is very fortunate to be blessed with such rich culture and extreme bliss.
