7 pheras

Bonded For Life – The 7 Vows of Indian Weddings

Indian Weddings, like Indian culture are serene, pure and extremely interesting. Right from the wedding preparations to the pheras, every single thing is marked with sacred beliefs and traditional values. Every ritual has a meaning and plays an important role in strengthening the bond of marriage. However, amongst all the rituals performed before and during the wedding, it is the mangal 7 pheras that are most important. Each phera bonds you to your partner not just for eternity, but also after birth and beyond. Here is a description of each of these mangal pheras, the vows and its meaning.

First Phera

During the first phera, the couple seeks the blessings of gods and goddesses for a happy, healthy and prosperous married life. The phera focuses on the values and importance of god. They pray for a healthy lifestyle, enough food and blessings on both the groom and bride. The groom recites mantras for strengthening their relation with every passing day while the bride prays and promises to abide by the path chosen by her husband and fulfill all her responsibilities.

Second Phera

In the second phera, the couple prays for mental, spiritual and physical peace in order to lead a peaceful life. In this phera they take the vow of being each others strengths and stay together despite the odds and evil powers. The bride vows to the groom that she will be always truthful to him, evading all the negative powers from the house.

7 pherasThird Phera

The third phera is a prayer to god by both, the groom and bride, asking him to provide them with wealth, intelligence and prosperity. They take the vow of staying religious and have respect to all the gods and religions. The groom takes the vow of giving due respect to his wife and see all other women as his sisters. Similarly, the bride also takes the vow of giving respect to the groom and sees other men as her brothers.

Fourth Phera

In the fourth phera, the couple seeks the blessings of all the elders for a successful married life and promise to take care of the family members. The bride takes the vow to maintain peace and sanctity in the family always. She also takes the vow of abiding all the orders of her husband to please him in each phase of life.

Fifth Phera

During the fifth phera the couple prays for the happiness of their relatives and friends. The groom asks the bride to become a part of his family, completing the family and fulfill her duties. The bride also promises to stand with the family and the groom in every good and bad circumstances of life.

Sixth Phera

The Sixth phera is the phera of love where the couple prays for togetherness for eternity. They pray to god for a joyous life ahead with lots of love and many seasons. The groom and bride promise to stay together devotionally for the entire life, making the journey peaceful and happy.

Seventh Phera

This is the last phera of the wedding and marks the completion of the ceremony. The couple prays for a long lasting bond of love and marriage. They also seek the blessings of god for better understanding, love, honesty and companionship in their marriage. They take the vow of being one, by body and soul for eternity. The bride also promises to be transparent to the groom, sharing her concerns and thoughts at each step of life.

After these 7 pheras, the couple is bonded for life in a relation called marriage. And henceforth will be called Husband and Wife.

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