Sacred Marriage - Vivaha Samskara 
Outline:
1. vag danam: oral betrothal, a month before the wedding.

2. mrida harana: sewing seeds, nineth, seventh, fifth or third day before wedding.

3. haridra lepana: smearing the bride and groom's bodies with tumeric, the evening before the wedding.

4. vrddhi sraddha:  the father of the bride with his wife, before noon, wearing clean cloth, perform sankalpam, swasti vachana, and vrddhi sraddha rites (worship of mahabhagavataas, vishnu's shaktis, chedi raja puja and guru parampara).

5. jnati karma: relatives' activities, bathing and decorating bride and groom, on morning of wedding.

6. madhuparka: father of bride receives groom, offering asana, padyam, arghya, achamaniyam, madhuparka.

7. kanya sampradanam: binding the hands of the couple, the father gives the bride, the groom  accepts, recites kaama stuti, the father gives dowry, the groom receives it.  The father will tie the cloth of groom and bride together and release their tied hands

8. mala dharanam: garlanding the bride and groom by the bride and groom - swayamvara rite.

9. go moksana: releasing a cow.

10. acchidra vachana: absolving faults.

11. vishnu smarana, kirtana, pranama

12. kusandika: groom should perform preparatory rites of homa, calling the fire called yojaka agni.

13. vaastra paridhapana: groom presents new cloth to the bride.

14. granthi bandanam: the symbolic tying of the sari and angavaastra cloths to formulate the binding of their marriage.

15. tali dharanam - mangal sutra dharanam: giving the sacred mangal sutra/tali, bangles and rings, etc.

16. sindhura dana: the groom marks the bride's head and part in hair with sindhura.

17. amantrika homa: with bride sitting on groom's right hand side, groom begins offering wood into the fire without mantra.

18. mahavyahrti homa: homa of ghee with vyahrti mantras.

19. ajya homa: groom offers six oblations into fire, for bride's protection while bride touches his right shoulder.

20. vyasta samasta mahavyahrti homa:  offering ghee with vyahrti mantras.

21. asma kramana: the mother of the bride should place the bride's right foot on the grinding stone, groom places toe ring on bride's right foot.

22. laja homa: the bride will offer laja with ghee into the fire, for protection of the husband.

23. agni pradakshina: the couple should circumambulate the fire together.

24. asmakaramana, laja homa and pradakshina should be repeated two more times, then he will offer the remaining laja with ghee into the fire

25. sapta pada gamanam: the groom should lead the bride with right foot first through seven circles drawn on the floor, to direct her to seven vows, virtues and attributes that they together will live by. He has given all that he owns and will own to her, and she in return vows to protect that, and him from harm, in this way protecting each other develop Krishna consciousness in mutual respect and harmony, etc.

26. abhisechana: a friend will sprinkle the couple with water from a kumbha.

27. pani grahanam: the groom will take the bride's two hands in his hands and give various blessings toward her - "...may she be kind to us both man and beast..."

28. vyasta samasta maha vyahrti hom: the groom will offer ghee into the fire with vyahrti mantras.

29. udichya karma, vaishnava homa, purna ahuti, santi danam

30. uttara vivaha: the groom will estbalish fire called yojaka, perform vyasta samasta mahavyahrti homa, and offer six oblations to nullify faults in bride, and offers remnant drips of each oblation on her head.

31. druva darshana: the groom should point out the pole star and the bride should ask for steadiness and chastity in married life, and give salutation to her husband; a woman with children should then sprinkle kumbha water on their heads in the form of ashirvadam blessings.

32. vyasta samasta mahavyahrti homa, udicya karma, vaisnava homa, purnahuti, santidana

33. bhojana: the groom will eat mahaprasadam and give the remnants to wife; in this way the couple should eat mahaprasadam together and observe brahmacharya for the next three days.

34. dhrti homa:   the morning after the third night the groom should take the bride to his house, perform kusandika, calling  the fire called dhrti, offer vyasta samasta maha vyahrti homa, then eight oblations of ghee for a strong, pleasant marriage - close with vyasta samasta maha vyahrti homa and silent offering of wood; salutation of the bride to the groom's family, udichyakarma, vaishnava homa, purna-ahuti,  santi dana, Vamadevganam, dana.

35. cathurthi homa: on the fourth day from the marriage the groom should perform kusandika, calling fire named sikhi, etc., and offer twenty oblations of ghee to vishnu for absolving of faults in the bride, placing remnants from each ahuti in a water pot.  Accordingly it is only after these three days that a bride becomes a dharmapatni - wife according to religious principles. A married woman sprinkles the water over the couples head, and the groom will end the homa as usual, with vyasta samasta maha vyahrti homa, amantrika homa, udicya karma etc. Now to be with wife.

36. pradakshinam: cirumambulating the sacred fire together and receiving ashirvadam blessings.

37. dakshina: to purohit/priest, rtvik brahmins, assembled devotees

38. prasadams: all guests are fed wonderful sanctified Krishna prasadam to their full satisfaction.



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