For the followers of Hindu culture, marriage does not only unify the two people but, in essence, two souls are united and bind them in an eternal thread. One of the most sacrosanct and major customs observed during Hindu weddings, especially those conducted in Arya Samaj Mandir, is Kanyadan or giving away the bride. This ancient custom has a deep spiritual meaning and is very much revered. It signifies that the responsibilities towards the bride are being transferred from the parents to the groom.
Pandits Thereof officiating Arya Samaj Marriages focus on emphasizing the need to perform Kanyadan in its true spirit. In an Arya Samaj Mandir Marriage, this ritual is carried out with Vedic principles and great reverence, so that the bride can take her place at the head of her new life.
The actual meaning of Kanyadan as explained by Arya Samaj Pandits and how this ancient and significant practice is in tune with Vedic rituals and teachings in the backdrop of an Arya Samaj Marriage.
The Significance of Kanyadan in Arya Samaj Marriage
Arya Samaj was founded to restore ‘the Vedic way of life’ and abolish those practices contrasted in the Vedas by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in the 19th century. The Arya Samaj marriages are simple, performed in the presence of Vedic rites, and avoid a lot of customs and celebrations opposite to the traditional Hindu weddings.
Kanyadan is a major part of the whole Arya Samaj Mandir Marriage and is considered to be one of the major kanyadan a parent could ever perform. The ritual is finally performed when the father of the bride puts the hand of his daughter in the hand of the groom, stating that he has, indeed, committed the welfare of his daughter to the hands of the groom. The word, “Kanyadan,” can be broken up into “Kanya,” which signifies daughter, and “Dan,” which means to donate or to offer something. That is, this ritual means a move of the daughter’s responsibility from the father to the husband.
The Arya Samaj Pandits explain that Kanyadan does not literally “give away” the bride to the groom. Rather, it is just a ceremony through which a bride is given to the groom so that he can look after the bride well. The Vedas, under which an Arya Samaj Marriage is regulated, consider the husband and wife as equal partners to each other. In this light, Kanyadan is not subordinating the woman but joining two souls through mutual love, respect, and responsibility.
Vedic Rituals: The Sacredness of Kanyadan
Quite clearly, in the Vedic tradition carried at its core by the teachings of Arya Samaj, Kanyadan is a very integral ritual. The Vedas see marriage as a sacrament; they consider it to be a Sanskara which purifies the couple and puts them on the way of Grihastha Ashram, that is, householder life. Marriage is thereby vested with heavy moral and spiritual obligations for both the bride and bridegroom, making it a partnership of two equals.
The Kanyadan ritual involves Vedic mantras being read in an Arya Samaj Mandir by an Arya Samaj Pandit, calling on God and Lighted Fire, Agni, the witness of marriage. The father of the bride reads mantras as he gives his daughter while placing his hand over hers into the groom’s hand, with the desire that this groom, who is now his son, should protect, love, and respect his daughter dwindling their life.
According to Arya Samaj Pandits, Kanyadan is not just a physical symbol but a deeply spiritual act of transferring moral and spiritual responsibility to the groom, who is supposed to fulfill his duties as a husband in the Vedic way. This is an act interpreted as securing the bride’s happiness and well-being because the groom is making an oath for her care like an equal partner in their joint sojourn through life. Kanyadan in the Context of the Arya Samaj.
An Arya Samaj Mandir Marriage puts Vedic rituals and the spiritual aspects of the marriage in the forefront, rather than materialistic and social ones. This makes Arya Samaj Marriages much simpler in comparison, more accessible, and oriented towards the spiritual growth of the couple. The ritual also includes Kanyadan, without any compulsions of dowry, since mutual consent is followed as the Arya Samaj opposes this practice, claiming it to be un-Vedic in principle.
The Arya Samaj, viewing things in a much more liberal way, views marriage as a covenant between two equals, reflected in Kanyadan. It is not the giving away of the bride but the entrusting of one partner to maintain the welfare of the other. This view is consistent with the Arya Samaj’s emphasis on gender equality and mutual respect in marriage.
The spiritual view built around the concept of kanyadan is that the bride is a manifestation of the goddess Laxmi, who is the goddess of prosperity.
In Hinduism, this act is taken to be one of the greatest charities. In an Arya Samaj Marriage, however, it goes a little more spiritually. It believes that by doing Kanyadan, the parents of the bride are in the process of attaining great spiritual merit. The act was selfless by the parents in the sense that they gave the groom the most cherished thing they had: a daughter.
This is followed by prayers to the couple for happiness, prosperity, and spiritual development. The parents pray to God to bless this couple. The divine should bless this couple. This couple’s relationship has to be full of love, harmony, and mutual respect. This ritual reminds the groom of his sacred duty to respect, maintain and cherish his wife as has been directed by the Vedas.
FAQs
What is the real meaning of Kanyadaan?
The word Kanyadaan conveys the idea of gifting the daughter to the bridegroom at the marriage ceremony. It is a sort of transfer of moral and spiritual responsibility from the father of the bride to the groom for the well-being of the bride in her married life.
What is Kanyadan in Arya Samaj?
There, the importance of the Kanyadan ritual in Arya Samaj is realized, which identifies the spiritual and moral responsibility of the groom in taking care of the bride as an equal partner. Performed with Vedic chants, Kanyadan puts forth the couple’s spiritual journey rather than materialistic aspects.
What is the meaning of Kanyadan in Geeta?
Kanyadan is the most pious and charitable act. It means, according to Geeta, passing on the care of the daughter to the bridegroom. It is a religious donation for the welfare and prosperity of the couple in their new life together.
Is Kanyadaan a Sanskrit word?
Yes, Kanyadaan is a Sanskrit word. Literally, “kanya” means daughter, and “dan” itself connotes donation or offering. It embodies the concept of transferring the care and responsibility of the bride to the bridegroom at the ceremony of marriage.