Seven Vows

The Seven Sacred Vows of marriage are described as follows:

For the First Vow, the Groom promises: “om esha ekapadi bhava iti prathaman” meaning ‘You will offer me food and be helpful in every way. I will cherish you and provide welfare and happiness for you and our children’. The bride complies in return:“dhanam dhanyam pade vadet”‘ I am responsible for the home and all household, food and finance responsibilities’. Concisely, the bride and groom promise each other prosperity by fulfilling their respective roles in their lives.

For the Second Vow the groom says: “om oorje jara dastayaha”, meaning ‘Together we will protect our house and children’. The Bride in return promises “kutumburn rakshayishyammi sa aravindharam”, which translates as ‘I will be by your side as your courage and strength. I will rejoice in your happiness. In return, you will love me solely’. 

During the Third Vow, the Groom says, “om rayas santu joradastayaha” by which he means ‘May we grow wealthy and prosperous and strive for the education of our children and may our children live long.’ In return the Bride promises, “tava bhakti as vadedvachacha”, meaning ‘I will love you solely for the rest of my life, as you are my husband. Every other man in my life will be secondary. I vow to remain chaste’. 

During the Fourth Vow, the Groom declares “om mayo bhavyas jaradastaya ha” by which he means ‘You have brought sacredness into my life, and have completed me. May we be blessed with noble and obedient children’ In return for this promise, the Bride says “lalayami cha pade vadet”, by which she means, ‘I will shower you with joy, from head to toe. I will strive to please you in every way I can’.

For the Fifth Vow, the Groom says, “om prajabhyaha santu jaradastayaha”, which means ‘You are my best friend, and staunchest well-wisher. You have come into my life, enriching it. God bless you’. To this the Bride says, “arte arba sapade vadet” or ‘I promise to love and cherish you for as long as I live. Your happiness is my happiness, and your sorrow is my sorrow. I will trust and honor you, and will strive to fulfill all your wishes’.

During the Sixth Vow, the Groom asks, “Rutubhyah shat padi bhava” which means ‘Now that you have taken six steps with me, you have filled my heart with immense happiness. Will you do the kindness of filling my heart with happiness like this for all times?’ to this the Bride replies, “yajna hom shashthe vacho vadet” meaning ‘I will always be by your side’.

For the Last and Seventh Vow, the Groom says “Om sakhi jaradastayahga”, by which he proclaims ‘We are now husband and wife, and are one. You are mine and I am yours for eternity.’ The Bride accepts this proclamation and says “Attramshe sakshino vadet pade”, which means ‘As God is witness, I am now your wife. We will love, honor and cherish each other forever.’