Saptapadi

Saptapadi (Sanskrit: सप्तपदी, romanized: Saptapadī, lit. 'seven steps') is regarded to be the most important rite (Sanskrit: rītī) of a Hindu wedding ceremony. After tying the sacred knot known as the mangalasutra, the newly-wed couple takes seven steps together, during which the marriage is solemnised. After the seventh step is taken, the marriage of the couple is regarded to be irrevocable.[1]

A newly-wed Marathi couple performs the saptapadi
For other uses, see Saptapadi (disambiguation).
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The saptapadi is sometimes mistaken with Saat Phere.[2]

Description

The saptapadi is an ancient ritual that dates back to the Vedic period. The circumambulation of the sacred altar of fire is a rite that is performed differently in various regions of South Asia. In some regions, the couple walks around the altar seven times. In other regions, the couple takes seven steps to complete a single circumambulation.[3] At each step or circuit, the couple may also take various vows, the content of which varies from region to region.[4]

Vows

In South India and Western India, during the Hindu wedding, the couple say these words as they complete the seven steps of the saptapadi:

"Now let us make a vow together. We shall share love, share the same food, share our strengths, share the same tastes. We shall be of one mind, we shall observe the vows together. I shall be the Samaveda, you the Rigveda, I shall be the Upper World, you the Earth; I shall be the Sukhilam, you the Holder - together we shall live and beget children, and other riches; come thou, O sweet-worded girl!"[5][6][7][8][9]

In North Indian weddings, the bride and the groom say the following words after completing the seven steps:

"We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you. Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us. May the morning be honey-sweet for us. May the earth be honey-sweet for us. May the heavens be honey-sweet for us. May the plants be honey-sweet for us. May the sun be all honey for us. May the cows yield us honey-sweet milk. As the heavens are stable, as the earth is stable, as the mountains are stable, as the whole universe is stable, so may our union be permanently settled."[10][11][12][13]
  • In 1961, a Bengali film was released in Tollywood, directed by Ajoy Kar, named Saptapadi. It is a love story with a twist set in Bengal in pre-independent India (early 1940); the time when young Indian students were competing equally with British 'goras' in all fields, whether it be education or sports.
  • In 1981 a Telugu film was released named Saptapadi, directed by Kaasinathuni Viswanath; this film won a National Award in Indian Films.
  • Saptapadii, a Gujarati film directed by Niranjan Thade, was released in 2013. The music of the film is given by Rajat Dholakia & Piyush Kanojia. Popular TV actor Manav Gohil stars opposite Swaroop Sampat. It also stars child actor Heet Samani. Produced by Amitabh Bachchan’s AB Corp and leading event management company Slash Production, the film is written by Niranjan Thade, Chandrakant Shah & Kaajal Oza Vaidya. Its worldwide distributor is Different Strokes Communications Pvt. Ltd. (Dr. Devdatt Kapadia and Mrinal Kapadia)

See also

References
  1. www.wisdomlib.org (2017-01-17). "Saptapadi, Saptapadī, Sapta-padi, Saptan-padi: 7 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  2. Menski, Werner (2013-12-16). Modern Indian Family Law. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-83992-4.
  3. "Saptapadi or Saat Phere". Best Heritage Wedding Venues in Bangalore - The Tamarind Tree. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  4. Muesse, Mark W. The Hindu Traditions: A Concise Introduction. Fortress Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4514-1400-4.
  5. www.panchangam.com
  6. South Indian Wedding, SanathanaDharma.com, retrieved 2009-05-21, ... The Ritual of the Hindu Wedding too is each symbolic ...
  7. Sapthapathi Manthras - Its meaning, bnaiyer.com, archived from the original on 2008-07-25, retrieved 2009-05-21, ... they both say: "Now let us make a vow together. We shall share the same food, share the strengths ...
  8. www.sophieanand.com Archived 2007-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  9. A South Indian Wedding – The Rituals and the Rationale: The Vedic Ceremony of the Tamil Shaivite Brahmin community, SAWNET, archived from the original on 2008-05-12, retrieved 2009-05-21, ... The gates of the wedding hall are adorned with full-grown plantain trees, signifying evergreen plenty for endless generations ...
  10. Diane Warner (2006), Diane Warner's Complete Book of Wedding Vows: Hundreds of Ways to Say "I Do", Career Press, pp. 7–8, ISBN 1-56414-816-5, ... We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine ...
  11. Sitaram Sehgal (1969), Hindu marriage and its immortal traditions, Navyug Publications, ... May the plants be honey-sweet for us; may the Sun be all honey for us and ...
  12. Eleanor C. Munro (1996), Wedding readings: centuries of writing and rituals on love and marriage, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-008879-2, ... May the nights be honey-sweet for us; may the mornings be honey-sweet ...
  13. Michael Macfarlane (1999), Wedding Vows: Finding the Perfect Words, Sterling Publishing Company, p. 89, ISBN 978-0-8069-0639-3, ... we are word and meaning, united ...
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