In honor of varalakshmI vratam

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 06 Aug 2006, 03:03

The muslim invasion connection bothered me and I am glad that is settled beyond any doubt.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 04:44

mAngalya dhAraNa mantras

AcchAdya nUtanam vAsO varO mAngalya sUtrakam |
suvarNamaNi samyuktam badhnIyAt kanyakA gaLE ||1||

mAngalyam tantunAnEna mama jIvana hEtunA |
kaNThE badhnAmi subhagE tvam jIva SaradAm Satam ||2||

mangalam bhagavAn viShNur mangalam madhusUdanaH |
mangaLam puNDarIkAkShO mangaLam garuDadhvajaH ||3||

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 06 Aug 2006, 04:52

CML
There is an ancient temple for Sri Lalitha parameshwari in Prayaag near naimishyaaranya. Just for your info...

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 04:59

The source of the above mantras is the kannaDa book "vivAha mantra sUtragaLu" written and published by Sri. M.Keshaviah in 1936. Keshaviah-avhA is my great-great- grandfather.(Meaning grandfather's grandfaher).

In the book, he treats the subject of marriage mantras and sUtras elaborately as given in Apastamba sUtra and EkAgni khaNDa of kRShNa yajurvEda. He clearly states that the Sruti sammata (having the endorsement of vEdas) angas are 5, namely varakanyAnvEShaNa (seeking the bride), pANigrahaNa(taking the hand), pradhAna hOma, saptapadi(taking 7 steps) and lAjA hOma (pouring of puffed rice into the hands of the bride).

Those dictated by dharmaSAstra are kanyA dAna and mAngalya dhAraNa. The kannikAdAna mantras are as told in the vAyu purANa.

Sruti endorsed practices on reaching the groom's home following marriage are sthAlIpAka, pravESa hOma and SESha hOma.

Note that the kanyAdAna and mANgalya dhAraNa precede pANigrahaNa.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 08:06

Point to be noted is that the mangalyadhAraNa mantras quoted by you ar not from the vedas. These were created for convenience by purohits. This supposed to precede the paaNigrahaNaM. Even ashvalAyana does not mention it or quote any mantras (I have the book published by the Adayar Library). The well researched sociological treatise on 'Hindu Samskaras ' by Rajbali Pandey does not even mention it. Mangalya dharanam does not occur in gaandharva vivaha which was accepted by ancient Hindus.

I wonder whether the Icons of devi recovered in the north have a mangalsutrs as we know it. The verses in sahasranamam and those of AcArya have lot of interpolations. I am not denying that they could be original. But the absence of the ceremony mostly in the north is puzzling. The stotras have been composed more by the influence of shankaracarys and the southern influence is distinct. If 'taali' is a dravidian custum coopted into hinduism then its influence was limited and regional. manu smriti does not mention it. Only 'ashvalaayana sutra' (southern version) mentions it nor do bOdhAyana or paraashara!

vK

More than mangala sutra the child marriage (baalya vivaaha) was distinctly influenced by the Mulim aggression!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 08:18

cmlover wrote:Point to be noted is that the mangalyadhAraNa mantras quoted by you ar not from the vedas. These were created for convenience by purohits.

I am clear that it is not mentioned in vEdas although I had initially thought so befor I read the book carefully. The point to be noted is this is not exactly a new practice. And I do not agree with you that it was created for the convenience of purohits. What convenience? They serve no material gain to the purohits nor to anyone else for that matter.

This supposed to precede the paaNigrahaNaM.

No supposition here. That is how it is practised.

I wonder whether the Icons of devi recovered in the north have a mangalsutrs as we know it. The verses in sahasranamam and those of AcArya have lot of interpolations.

I disgree here. The saundarya lahari has 100 hymns and what those 100 are is widely accepted. There are 3 or so verses(Over the 100) that are considered as later addition and the identity of these verses are also not debated. All versions I have seen give the same 100. Only the order of 2 or 3 are changed. And I have not heard of any interpolations in the sahsranAma. Much to the contrary, there are methods to check and prevent such occurrences.

But the absence of the ceremony mostly in the north is puzzling.

I am not sure of this at all. I am not denyig that there are communities in the North(as Im sure in the south as well) that do not have the ceremony but tying of the mangalsUtra is very much a part of Mainstream north indian culture and customs. In this I have no doubt.

It may well be that this practice originated in the South and later spread North. But that is still a Hindu custom. ANd the spread certainly did not occur within historic times.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 08:40

Take a look at these links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalita_sahasranama

http://www.mudgala.com/sri-krishna-mang ... namam.html

I would like to draw your attention particularly to the chalArNa sUtras and paribhAShA sUtras that are used to prevent interpolations in the sahsranAma.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 08:42

I have the 'Vedic Marriage Ritual' (of the Arya Samaj) Published by the Adayar Theosophical Society and it does not contain mangalya dharana while the rest of the vedic ceremonies are included.

You may be aware that the first 50? of Soundarya lahiri was composed by Siva himself and the rest were added by the AcArya!

I have no problems with Hindu customs from the South (for that matter any other direction) getting adopted universally. The point is it may have been a non-hindu custom imported into Hinduism. Ramayana does not have it. Nor is there mention in mahabharata (I cannot swear yet (but shanti parva does not!).

There is a distinct ceremony on the 10th day of removing the mangalyam when the husband dies (which is not accompanied by any mantras). The woman is considered a sumangali for those ten days and if she dies during that period it is considered a sumangali death. These are sociological practices distinctly southern!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 08:55

drshrikaanth wrote:I would like to draw your attention particularly to the chalArNa sUtras and paribhAShA sUtras that are used to prevent interpolations in the sahsranAma.

That is quite interesting! There are no vedic accents for the lalita sahasranama and how do they then preserve the pronunciation? Though Baskararaya's commentary is taken to be authoritative, how come there were no earlier ones! AcArya commented on the Trishati but not on the sahasranama itself! That is puzzling too!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 08:58

cmlover wrote:The point is it may have been a non-hindu custom imported into Hinduism. Ramayana does not have it. Nor is there mention in mahabharata (I cannot swear yet (but shanti parva does not!).

vAlmIki does not dwell on the marriage at all. First janaka gives his daughter away(kanyAdAna). Then vAlmIki simply mentions that the marriage ceremony took place according to rules and customs established by elders(guru hiryaru as we say in kannaDa). Note that the "kanyAdAna" is definitely described. I havent checked the bhArata.

Coming back to kALidAsa, a poet who is so descriptive about everything, has not described the marriage ceremony in detail in the raghuvamSa- 6th sarga- marriage of aja with indumati; 11th sarga- rAma and sIta's marriage; and kuSa's marriage in 16th sarga. In fact the description of rAma and sItA's marriage closely shadows vAlmIki,s description.

Going by the tenor of description in the kumArasambhava, it does not appear that he has described the details even in this kAvya. But my e-copy tantalizingly stops at the end of 6th sarga, just before the marriage. AAAAAh!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 06 Aug 2006, 09:02

CML, we can put to rest the muslim invasion connection without any reservation or disclaimers.. right?

I do not have anything to offer regarding when the practice came into being, but I think you are making too strong a distinction between 'southern' and 'hindu'. I understand the distinction between 'vedic' and non-vedic but beyond that I do not see a point in further distinctions.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 06 Aug 2006, 09:05

This may not amount to much, but AnDAL/gOdhA doesn't describe the mAngalyadhAraNam in her dream...it has everything in detail - the previous evening - nichiyatArtham (yennai magatpEshi mandirittu), saptapadI (tI valam sheyya kanA kanDEN tOzhi nAn), pori iDudal etc.... BUT no mAngalyadhAraNam...

Ravi

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 09:17

Good point Shankar!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 09:31

Going by the tenor of description in the kumArasambhava, it does not appear that he has described the details even in this kAvya. But my e-copy tantalizingly stops at the end of 6th sarga, just before the marriage. AAAAAh!

Dont worry! I have all the 8 sargas. Siva does not tie a mangala sUtra:)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 09:49

Have alook at
http://www.auroville.org/journals&media ... ed_tie.htm
I quote

An anthropological study states that the Thali represents a tiger's nail or claw. "When there were still jungle people, the women preferred only the strong men. Those who spirited the tiger and brought the nail to a maiden were considered a good choice and it was an honour for the girl to choose such a courageous man

Hence there is the possibility that it is an ancient custom among Tamils and the aryans who came south accepted it. So it was not part of proto-hinduism!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 09:57

In a way I would equate 'thaali' to the custom of 'mehandi' which is very common among the Norths (becoming popular in South too). This practice was adopted distintly from the Muslims!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 14:54

An anthropological study states that the Thali represents a tiger's nail or claw. "When there were still jungle people, the women preferred only the strong men.

That is exactly my point. Indians have not been jungle people for several thousand years now. So
the tying of mAngalya did not happen in historic times. Prehitoric reasons for cutoms are open to extrapolation and intelligent guessing. And it probably happened before there was tamizh or kannaDa or telugu. SO calling it a tamizh cusom is parochial. And there is no reason why prehistoric NI women would not have preferred strong men. Evolution dictates otherwise.

One important point. The mAngalya of tamizhs is shaped as a tigers claw but not amongs kannaDigas. So, tigers claw may have been a trbal totem of a group that later became tamizhs. SO it is definitely possible that the mAgalya was symbolic of particular tribes/ groups as it is of communities today. So one cannot generalise on their origins.

And I would like to emphasise on this point again. kanyAdAna, although not Srutisammata, is clearly described in the rAmAyaNa and also in kumArasambhava as also in raghuvamSa. So that throws the theory out that what is not described in vedas is not ancient. It is well possible that kanyAdAna automatically meant tying the mAngalya and hence was not described separately.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 14:56

cmlover wrote:In a way I would equate 'thaali' to the custom of 'mehandi' which is very common among the Norths (becoming popular in South too). This practice was adopted distintly from the Muslims!

mehndi/ heena is a decorative art. mAngalya is a very significant custom and is not "decorative". You cannot equate the two or draw parallels between them.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:04

Whatever feelings I have (as a sumangali:)) when I watch the two scholars spar over the issue--fascinating, by the way--I did not think I had a say due to lack of scholarship, though the issue is very much about 'our' ornament (symbol, insurance, evidence of a contract, holy talisman and so on). I thought I would request my other forum mates of the female kind to say a few words on this subject. Ravi, VK, your points are taken too...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:15

It appears that we are converging on the sociological plank! My thesis is that 'mangaLa sUtra' is not necessarily Hinduism as enjoined in the vedas. The practice is prehistoric and prevalent in SI age-old and the aryans adopted it and perhaps not all of bharata varsha. The undue importance given to 'thaali' by Tamils is essentially a 'cult' rather than religious enjoinment! The mantras chanted are not vedic which are sacrosanct. As Shankar points out even 'ANDAL' did not give it any importance. Probably it became more important after muslim occupation! 'thaali' is as important as is the 'wedding ring' in Western culture. It is symbolic and not religious. The recent elections in TN emphasized the importance of 'gold' in thaali which again is not religious ( as also from your statements of Kannadiga practice!). Note also that the regularly practised 'sumangali praarthan' among (brahmins?) is again of sociological importance and not religious! The priest is not even invited for those functions wheres the 'naandi' shraaddham is a very important ceremony with vedic mantras.

Coming back 'varalakshmi vratam' was also a local Telugu practice adopted widely in SI later, maybe a few hundred years old! The puranic story was perhaps created through the fertile imagination of a 'priest' ! I believe the 'santOsha maata' vratam widely celebrated by NI belongs to the same category! It is pointless to look for vedic santification for any of these umpteen Hindu practices...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:33

mAngalyam tantunAnEna mama jIvana hEtunA |
kaNThE badhnAmi subhagE tvam jIva SaradAm Satam ||2||

The way the shloka (anuSHTubh) is used in TN is
mAngalyam tantunAnEna mama jIvana hEtunA |
kaNThE badhnAmi subhagE sajIva SaradAh Satam

In the former the groom is blessing the bride to live 100 years. In the latter he is invoking 100 years of life together! Is there any implication of 'sati' in the former that the woman should die once the husband dies? (at any rate the invocation is 'selfish' on both counts!)
(note that the use of singular dvitIya vibhakti in your version is not grammatically correct!)

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:39

cml,
The santhOshi mA phenomenon occured to me as well...
I am happy singing and listening to varalakshmi kritis whether I observe the vratham or not.
Coolji, any outstanding rendition in your collection on vara lakhmi (not varAda!)

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:39

cmlover wrote:My thesis is that 'mangaLa sUtra' is not necessarily Hinduism as enjoined in the vedas.

I am not sure if much of today's "Hinduism" is enjoined in the Vedas.

The practice is prehistoric and prevalent in SI age-old and the aryans adopted it and perhaps not all of bharata varsha.

There is no proof for this.

As Shankar points out even 'ANDAL' did not give it any importance.

This goes contrary to your own "thesis" that tALi is an ancient tamizh custom. ANDAAL, as all other AzhwArs, were very "tamizh". WHy did she seemingly ignore an ancient and valued "tamizh" custom?

Probably it became more important after muslim occupation!

Come now. This is flogging a dead horse. You have got to give up your hold on this tenuous idea. It was not originally your idea anyway. And I have refuted this claim convincingly.

The recent elections in TN emphasized the importance of 'gold' in thaali which again is not religious ( as also from your statements of Kannadiga practice!).

The presence or absence of gold is entirely beside the point.

Religion is but an amalgam of tradition and belief as practised/developed in ones culture. What is the "Religious" significance of looking for a bride or holding the hand. It is sociological practice given an endorsement by religion (the Vedas). To even talk of Dravidain religion being non-hindu/non-aryan is parochialism with a flimsy base. Actually much of what we practice as Hindusim today is non-vedic anyway.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:42

cmlover wrote:In the former the groom is blessing the bride to live 100 years. In the latter he is invoking 100 years of life together! Is there any implication of 'sati' in the former that the woman should die once the husband dies? (at any rate the invocation is 'selfish' on both counts!)

A lot of religious practice can be interpreted as selfish. But this is completely immaterial to our topic of discuccion.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 20:57

cmlover wrote:The stotras have been composed more by the influence of shankaracarys and the southern influence is distinct.-

Verse 61 from the saundaryalaharI

asau nAsA vamSas tuhinagirivamSa dhvajapaTi |
tvadIyO nEdIyaH phalatu phalam asmAkam ucitam |
Vahatyantar muktAH SiSirakara niSvsa galitam |
samRddhyA yattAsAm bahirapi ca muktAmaNi dharaH ||61||

The southern influence is conspicuous by its absence here. If you look carefully, Adi Sankara describes Her as being adorned by a pearl nosestud on her Left nostril.

The nosestud is Always worn on the right side by tamizhs, malayALis and telugu people. Only the kannaDiga women wear it on the rleft as also North Indian women. Why did Sankara choose to depict the nose on the wrong side?

Maybe religio/history have got it all wrong and he was actually a kannaDiga.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:04

I am quoting from the book:
Marriage and Family in Mysore by MN Srinivas (1942) published by New Book Co (Bombay)
...Among the Brahmans it is the woman of the prostitute caste that threads the tali. Among the Non-Brahmans it is either a Basavi, or a professional prostitute. While a woman regularly and properly married is in danger of becoming a widow, the prostitute is not and is therefore auspiciouus. In fact the prostitute is often jocularly called nitya sumangali....

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:06

What is the point you are trying to make CML?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:15

There you go..
I am trying to emphasize that 'tali' is a cult. The Mysore practice is not followed in TN! The vedic practices are sacrosanct and are usually observed similarly all over India with minor variations...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:20

The southern influence is conspicuous by its absence here. If you look carefully, Adi Sankara describes Her as being adorned by a pearl nosestud on her Left nostril.

The only logical explanation I can think of is that Sankara was thinking of 'tAtanka bhUShaNa' (ardhanAri:) and automatically put the nattthu on the left nose. Perhaps the Kannadigas had the strongest influence of the AcArya and hence they adopted it as customary. Hence the reeverse of your supposition may be true:)

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:20

I wish the text contained a word other than prostitute for two reasons: by ANY culture, even with hundreds of years of its existence, the word and the connotations are not agreeable. The other more important reason is that it means disservice to the great community of divine musicians, dancers and instrumentalists. CM and HM would have gone without many of its treasures without them.
It is just a word. Still, in the context, a jarring word...

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:26

cmlover wrote:The only logical explanation I can think of is that Sankara was thinking of 'tAtanka bhUShaNa' (ardhanAri:) and automatically put the nattthu on the left nose

This is illogical as the stOtra is of the supreme SrImAta with nothin/none other than her. The concept of ardhanArI does not enter here. This is a stOtra of Sakti and NOT Siva. Read the stOtra again fully and you will not get that doubt.

Perhaps the Kannadigas had the strongest influence of the AcArya and hence they adopted it as customary. Hence the reeverse of your supposition may be true:)

hehe. Nice for a joke. Overnight all kannaDigas started wearing nosestuds on their left.
Jokes apart, Iam not talking only of brAhmaNa communities but all kannaDigas, a large chunk of whom(whose forefathers) would never have heard of Adi Sankara. And what about the mAdhvas, SrIvaiSNavas and lingAyats who do not accept the authority of Sankara? Why are they not wearing it on the right!!!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:30

My wife tells me that
nose piercing (not a vedi practice) was adopted from the muslims (now don't start quoting Sankara again

. The brahmins used the right nose (just to do the opposite of the muslims!) and the nonbrahmins the left. But the kannadas chose to pierce the left for whatever reason!(were they forced by the Tippu Sultan?)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:35

arasi
I was quoting verbatim from a sociological treatise (PhD thesis?). There were 'heinous' practices in our country which cannot be swept under the carpet

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:43

cmlover wrote:My wife tells me that
nose piercing (not a vedi practice) was adopted from the muslims (now don't start quoting Sankara again . The brahmins used the right nose (just to do the opposite of the muslims!) and the nonbrahmins the left. But the kannadas chose to pierce the left for whatever reason!(were they forced by the Tippu Sultan?)

This is too much CML. haha. Quoting Sankara and sahsranAma apart, you will find thousands of references to this essentially Hindu practice of piercing ears and nose. Both, particularly the former, are considered as signs of "sumangalitva" /muttaidetana (biccOle bhAgya, "tATanka mahimA" to quote Sankara). So all our words for nose rings and earstuds that have been used for thousands of years before the birth of Islam have to be conveniently swept under the carpet in defernce to your theory.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:48

FYI. The upanayana mantras are not vEdOkta. May be we "stole" it from the muslims, and used magic to make them forget their original custom so tha we could make it our own. Howzzat for a "thesis"

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:52

Read 'Arab' in the plac of 'islam' in my posts! Then all timelines will fall in place! Unquestionably dravidians were influenced by Arabs and vice versa! Body piercing was prevalent among Africans from prehistoric times (archeological evidence). Not too common in ancient India (in spite of your puranic quotes!)

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:59

CML
The time has come to call a halt to this discussion. All that needed to be said has been said. Before I too start talking thorugh my hat, lets call it off and move on.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:59

I read your quote carefully;
It is SiSirakara niSvsa galitam that leads through the gUDhAtha ( chandra nADi) to the left nose. The plain meaning is 'cool expiratin' which has no 'left' connotations. We never know what Sankara had in mind while composing the verse!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:04

Thanks DRS!
I enjoyed the 'look backs'. let us move on. And other folks take over!
How did the dAsar sAhityam 'bhAgyada lakShmi..' became so important for the Telugu practice of 'varalakShmi vratam'?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:04

I do understand, cml; however, when there is so much jOsh in the discussion between you and DRS about varalakshmi, the vratha, holy thread, etc, the word is out of place, though it is from a treatise. I wish the knots on the thread were not mentioned on this thread to drag it on! I am still waiting to hear from those who celebrated the vratham...
I do understand that they had no other word at their disposal in those days when the book was written...

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:04

cmlover wrote:It is SiSirakara niSvsa galitam that leads through the gUDhAtha ( chandra nADi) to the left nose. The plain meaning is 'cool expiratin' which has no 'left' connotations. We never know what Sankara had in mind while composing the verse!

Yeah. But the candranADi happens to come thorugh the left nostril only. AcARya could easily have invoked the sUrya nADI(pingaLa) through the right nostril to bring the nosestud onto the right.

I was well aware of this inner meaning when I wrote and that does not change the value.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:10

arasi wrote:I do understand, cml; however, when there is so much jOsh in the discussion between you and DRS about varalakshmi, the vratha, holy thread, etc, the word is out of place, though it is from a treatise..

Exchanges with CML are enjoyable, enlightening and invigorating. And at times exasperating

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:13

Had he known we were going to wrangle over it he would have chosen 'suuShmin' instead since he did compose the verses ina yogic trance:)

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:16

cmlover wrote:Had he known we were going to wrangle over it he would have chosen 'suuShmin' instead since he did compose the verses ina yogic trance:)

LOL. Just what I was thinking myself.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:17

let me add 'educating" and perhaps 'excruciating (literal meaning

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:26

cmlover wrote:let me add 'educating" and perhaps 'excruciating (literal meaning

Most certainly from your perspective.

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:39

cmlover wrote:The recent elections in TN emphasized the importance of 'gold' in thaali which again is not religious ( as also from your statements of Kannadiga practice!). Note also that the regularly practised 'sumangali praarthan' among (brahmins?) is again of sociological importance and not religious! the 'naandi' shraaddham is a very important ceremony with vedic mantras.
Coming back 'varalakshmi vratam' was also a local Telugu practice adopted widely in SI later, maybe a few hundred years old! The puranic story was perhaps created through the fertile imagination of a 'priest' !

CML
In telugu brahmin communities, mangala sutra is not made of gold at all. On the wedding day, groom just ties a piece of turmeric tuber around the bride`s neck, and depending upon the the financial status of the groom and his family, the bride will be given a gold mangala sutram later on half of which will be from bride`s side and the other half from grooms`s side.

Arasi!!!
If you want I can post a few nice dikshitar krithis on Varalakshmi(Sir raagam, Hemavathi, Sowrashtram bilahari and madhava manohari), untill kulkarni comes back to quench your musical thirst...

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:50

kiransurya wrote:depending upon the the financial status of the groom and his family, the bride will be given a gold mangala sutram later on half of which will be from bride`s side and the other half from grooms`s side. .

Its the same among kannaDigas as well- one half from each side.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Aug 2006, 23:08

kiransurya wrote:In telugu brahmin communities, mangala sutra is not made of gold at all. On the wedding day, groom just ties a piece of turmeric tuber around the bride`s neck, .

Again this is the same as practised among kannaDigas. "ariSinada kone in ariSinada dAra"(manjaL kayiru).

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 06 Aug 2006, 23:41

arasi wrote:cml,
The santhOshi mA phenomenon occured to me as well...
I am happy singing and listening to varalakshmi kritis whether I observe the vratham or not.
Coolji, any outstanding rendition in your collection on vara lakhmi (not varAda!)

Here are some links...

http://www.geocities.com/promiserani2/c1827.html

http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Homepages/shivk ... hmivaraham