Howard,

There is also the formula starting amo’ham (asmi) sā tvaṁ, as in the following

amo 'ham asmi sā tvaṃ sā tvam asy amo 'haṃ dyaur ahaṃ pṛthivī tvam ṛk tvam asi 
sāmāhaṃ sā mām anuvratā bhava tāv eha vivahāvahai prajāṃ prajanayāvahai putrān 
vindāvahai bahūṃs te santu jaradaṣṭaya iti (ŚāṅkhGS 1.13.4.0)

For other variants, see e.g. the examples on p. 56 of my Upaniṣadic Reader

All the best,

Hans Henrich



On 6 Sep2022, at 21:24, Howard Resnick <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> 
wrote:

Thank you Tim! This is extremely helpful.

All the best,
Howard

On Sep 6, 2022, at 7:09 PM, Lubin, Tim <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> 
wrote:

Howard,

How about the vivāha ceremony in the Gr̥hyasūtras?  I think some of these could 
be treated as “vows” in a loose sense.

KāṭhakaGS 25.28 (with many variations in other GSs):
agnim abhidakṣiṇam ānīyehy aśmānam iti varaṃ dakṣiṇena padāśmānam āsthāpayati /
           “ehy aśmānam ātiṣṭhāśmeva tvaṃ sthiro bhava /
           kr̥ṇvantu viśve devā āyuṣ te śaradaḥ śatam” //

Or in the mantras of the saptapadī rite, in which the groom leads the bride 
around the fire saying:
e.g. Pāraskara 1.8.1–2:
athaināmudīcīṃ saptapadāni prakrāmayati
“ekamiṣe dve ūrje trīṇi rāyaspoṣāya catvāri māyobhavāya pañca paśubhyaḥ ṣaḍ 
ṛtubhyaḥ sakhe saptapadā bhava sā māmanuvratā bhava” |1|
“viṣṇus tvānayatv” iti sarvatrānuṣajati |2|  (this says to add “viṣṇus 
tvānayatu” after each of the step mantras in 1 above, as in the

Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 3.7.7.11 = 3.7.7.89 in BS ed.
(j) “ekam iṣe viṣṇus tvānvetu
dve ūrje viṣṇus tvānvetu
trīṇi vratāya viṣṇus tvānvetu
catvāri māyobhavāya viṣṇus tvānvetu
pañca paśubhyo viṣṇus tvānvetu
ṣaḍ rāyas poṣāya viṣṇus tvānvetu
sapta saptabhyo hotrābhyo viṣṇus tvānvetu
 (k) sakhāyaḥ saptapadā abhūma   sakhyaṃ te gameyam”

Or, my favorite, the mantra to unite minds and wills (this version from the 
[Gobhila] Mantra-Brahmaṇa 1.2.21, but versions elsewhere):
“mama vrate te hr̥dayaṃ dadhātu
mama cittam anu cittam te astu /
mama vācam ekamanā juṣasva
br̥haspatis tvā niyunaktu mahyam” //

Since the mantras are only in the mouths of men (in the traditional form of the 
rites), they are one-directional and patriarchal, but I imagine they could be 
recited jointly or reciprocally by both spouses to make things more egalitarian.

Best wishes,
Tim

Timothy Lubin
Jessie Ball duPont Professor of Religion, and Adjunct Professor of Law
Head of the Law, Justice, and Society Program
204 Tucker Hall
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia 24450
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(h)


From: INDOLOGY 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
 on behalf of Howard Resnick <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 9:04 PM
To: INDOLOGY <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Ancient wedding vows

Dear Scholars,

Do we have ancient Sanskrit texts with actual wedding vows? Are there specific 
vows for kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas?

I’m looking for wedding vows, rather than spontaneous proposals of marriage 
like these:

MBh CE CE 1.67.3 Duḥṣanta said to Śakuntalā: bhāryā me bhava, “Become my wife.”

MBh CE 1.139.24 Hiḍimbā proposed to Bhīma, saying, among other flattering 
things, bhajamānāṃ bhajasva mām “ choose/honor/love me who am loving [you].

Again, apart from such spontaneous proposals, are there actual ancient vows at 
weddings?

Many thanks for any help with this.

Best wishes,
Howard


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