Meaning of ślōka

[kmrasika]

Appreciate if anyone could give word-to-word meaning to the following ślōka. Apparently it pertais to the marriage of sītā and rāma. If anyone knows the source as well, really appreciate it.

वैदेहस्यपुरे विवाहसमये कल्याण वेद्यन्तरे
सामोदे विमलेन्दु रत्नखचिते पीठे निषण्णे शुभे |
शृन्वन्तौ निगमान्त तत्व विदुषां आशीर्गिरां सादरम्
कुर्यस्तां सुवधूवरौ जनकजा श्रीराघवौ मङ्गळम् ||

vaidēhasyapurē vivāhasamayē kalyāṇa vēdyantarē
sāmōdē vimalēndu ratnakhacitē pīṭhē niṣaṇṇē śubhē |
śṛnvantau nigamānta tatva viduṣāṁ āśīrgirāṁ sādaram
kuryastāṁ suvadhūvarau janakajā śrīrāghavau maṅgaḷam ||

[Rajani]

janakajā śrīrāghavau - (May) Sita and Rama,
suvadhūvarau - the lovely bride and groom,
sādaram - affectionately
śṛnvantau - listening to
āśīrgirāṁ - the benedictions of
nigamānta tatva viduṣāṁ - the scholars/knowers of Upanishads,
vaidēhasya purē - in the city of Janaka,
vivāhasamayē - at the time of (their) wedding
kalyāṇa vēdyantarē - on the wedding dais,
niṣaṇṇau - seated
pīṭhē śubhē - on the auspicious slab/seat
sāmōdē - (that is) fragrant
vimalēndu ratnakhacitē - and etched with pure, moon-like gems,
kuryastāṁ maṅgaḷam - (may they) confer benefits


( I am quite sure it is nishaNNau and not nishaNNE )

[VK RAMAN]

Is this sloka sung during sitA kalyaNam - kmrasika? What is the significance of this sloka in our day to day chanting?

[rshankar]

Rajani - thank you! Beautiful SlOkam, kmrasika - thanks for finding it.
VKR, SlOkas like this, and another attributed to hanumAn's imagination of the divine couple on their wedding day I believe are to be chanted to bless newly weds. I'm not sure they are part of the daily prayers.

[VK RAMAN]

So is it done during weddings by priests after mangalya dhAraNam?

[srivilliputtur]

slokas as these are called MANGALASHTAKAM, the word ASTAKAM, in this context not necessarily meaning 8 in number. Mangalashtakam( or Mangalaslokas) are poems which seem to be basically written as a form of benediction to Almighty. the substance of these Mangalashtakas,in general, seems to be to draw the attention of the newly wed( sometimes the new initiated brahmachari) to the lofty ideal-filled life of the Divine Beings. the very thought of these divine Beings is enough for upliftment and Their ways are to be enumerated. Just as another example, I quote one more by Sri SriRangapriya Sripada Sri SriH:
'Dyaavaa pruthivyaaviva nityayuktau kalyaanadau pum-prakriti swarUpau|
jagattrayaadyow grihiNou sadaa vo daampatyabhaave paramam pramaaNam" -- this is a vivaha Mangalashtaka.

please note that the dual number is something peculiar to Sanskrit and this is used beautifully here to refer to the Divine couple.
dyaavaa-prithivyaaviva-- lIke the earth and the sky,
nitya-yuktau - who are inseperable
kalyaaNadau-- (they are the) Bestower/s of all good and are themselves ever-auspicious and are the bereft of anything contrary
pum-prakriti swarUpau-- ( verily do they represent the ) Purusha and Prakriti- the Causal Seed and the Causal Nature of this entire universe, -- [ they together represent the Material Cause and the Cause of this Creation]
jagattrayaadyaU- (they are) the first Couple in the entire Universe( the word trijagat- is normally used in the Sanskrit in the sense of whole of Creation)and from whom this Universe has sprung forth
grihinow-the Couple to whom this entire Universe is (their)own home.
Let that memory of the Divine Couple be your Standard upon which you shall shape your lives and at every point look at that ideal couple always. sadaa vo -daampatya bhaave paramam pramaaNam-- paramam -the ultimate PramaaNam- standard.
This Couplet applied equally well to the Triad. the word/sound is the Prakriti while the meaning is Purusha--(verse 1 of Raghuvamsa - vaagarthaaviva etc.) In the context of Brahma and Saraswati OR Parvati and Paramashiva OR Lakshmi and Narayana-- the verse seeks to turn the attention of the newly weds to this Ideal communion, where Prakriti follows the Purusha and the Purusha never forsakes the Prakriti and both are ever united with each other.
slokas as these are used both during the wedding ceremonies and also during the Ashirvada.

Look at one more from the SAma Veda prayoga which directly seeks to demystify the mangalyasutra:
" annapashena manina praanasutrena prishninaa|
badnaami satyagranthinaa manasca hrudayasca te||-to be recited by the Groom as he ties the lofty knot

"

[rshankar]

SrivilliputtUr, thanks for that explanation.
Can you please clarify if in sAma vEda weddings, the verse you posted is recited instead of or in addition to the traditional
'mAngalyam dantunAdIna
mama jIvana hEtuna
kaNThE badnAmi SubhagE
tvam jIva SaradahSatam'?

[srivilliputtur]

yes sir, it is to be recited. this one sloka is enough proof to convince that the concept of mangalya is not alien to the vedic culture but supplementary and complementary to bharata culture.

[keerthi]

the verse 'mAngalyam tantunA' etc. is not from the vedic samhita. It is not recorded in any of the gRhya sUtras. It is more a vestige of sampradAya rather than shAstra.

None of the classic texts talk about tying a mangala 'sUTra' as part of the marriage ritual, while there is talk of other things like the kankaNa or the kautuka.


The verse describing rAma and sIta, only says may the scene of the divine couple seated in the marital maNDapa, confer auspicious tidings on us. It isn't connected to mAngalya-dharanam.

[rshankar]

Keerthi, I do not think the SlOka posted by kmrasika was described as being part of the mAngalya dhAraNam. The latter came up because of the verse from sAma vEda posted, that seems like something to be chanted during the mAngalya dhAraNam...

[classicallover]

Dear all,

In this context, it is very apt to remember the kriti by Shri Dikshitar on Shiva Parvati who are the first couple of the entire universe - Adidampati . The dual number has been very simply & beautifully used to extoll the virtues of the divine couple - Shri Parvati Parameshwarau vande, BhouLi ragam.

Maangalya dhaaraNam is not a vedic ritual, but a symbolic practice considered sacred. But the Saptapadi is a vedic ritual and hence even in the Indian Constitution, a Hindu marriage is said to have taken place legally only if the Saptapadi has been performed, irrespective of maangalya dhaaraNam.