The Brit and his bride-to-be Katy Perry will reportedly wed in a Hindu ceremony at a luxury hotel in Jaipur, India on 23 October (10) and religious leaders have announced they’ll be watching very carefully to make sure the couple observes the seriousness of the sacred ceremony.
Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, is thrilled Perry and Brand are reportedly returning to India, where they became engaged on New Year’s Eve (31Dec09), to exchange vows at the Taj Rambagh Palace resort.
But he is warning the couple to take the nuptials very seriously.
Zed tells WENN, “Hindus have suggested they should take marriage seriously and perform the ceremony with proper Hindu rituals and traditions.
“In Hinduism, vivah (marriage) is the most important samskar (sacrament). The married couple is looked at as a complete module for worship and participation in cultural and social acts. With the marriage samskar, one thoroughly enters into grihasth-ashram (householder phase), where one can attend to the goals of dharm (duty).
“Traditional Hindu marriage is a sacred rite and involves various religious steps, including kanyadaan (giving of the bride), panigrahan (hand grasping), reciting from scriptures, walking around the fire chanting Vedic mantars (hymns), saptapadi (seven steps) on the piles of rice.
“The course of the conventional Hindu wedding includes various religious, cultural and social procedures, including gunapariksha, patrika (horoscope) matching, vagdana (betrothal), pressing a tilak (religious mark) on the bridegroom, mrdaharana (bringing of earth) by mothers, applying mehndi (henna) on the bride, Ganesh worship, worship of goddess Sitala for three-to-seven days, dispersal rites and the smashing of a coconut at the temple.
“I’m sure if the couple needed any help, Hindu scholars would gladly guide them through the process.
“Hindus are always battling stars and film studios when it comes to the way our faith is portrayed outside of Hinduism – here is a really good opportunity for Russell Brand, who has shown great interest in the religion to show the world just how sacred and beautiful the Hindu marriage ceremony is. We wish them great blessings.”
