Every ritual started with prayers & the brahmana (priest) said to remember or meditate on Lord Visnu .
A fire sacrifice was arranged & we put oblations in it.
The fire in the yagna is the tongue of Lord Visnu & all offerings are put in it to satisfy the Supreme Lord & invoke his blessings & sanction for an auspicious marriage as stated in Bh Gita 5.29
Bhkotaram yagna tapasam....
Krishna is the ultimate beneficiary of yagna
========================= puport of 18.5
The yogis should perform acts for the advancement of human society. There are many purificatory processes for advancing a human being to spiritual life. The marriage ceremony, for example, is considered to be one of these sacrifices. It is called vivaha-yajna.
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Purpose of Marriage is Spiriual adavancement
-------------------------------- puport of 18.5
The Lord says here that any sacrifice which is meant for human welfare should never be given up.Vivaha-yajna, the marriage ceremony, is meant to regulate the human mind so that it may become peaceful for spiritual advancement.
Then a small act was also performed where they made me carry a umbrella & a cane stick & i had to walk
a distance & the uncle of bride would pursue me to come back & marry .
The significance of this act is that the husband thinks his spiritual would be disturbed if he gets married so he decides to go to Kashi (place of pilgrimage) but then the uncle comes & says that "your would be wife is
very sense-controlled & likes spiritual life & shall support your spiritual life so donot keep the worry
& please marry her"
The final & sacred ceremony is when the cloth is kept in between the wife & husband &
mangalashtakam is sung & after that the wife & husband exchange the garlands.
It was really surprising when the priest said at the start "Now remember your ista-deva in your heart "
Then the priest started chanting a mantra which i knew very well
kasturi tilakam lalata patate vakshasthale kausthubham
naasaagre varmouktikam karatale venum kare kankanam
sarvaange harichandanam sulalitam kanthecha mukthavali
gopastree pariveshthito vijayate gopala chudaamani
vijayate gopala chudaamani
O Sri Krishna ! The Kasturi (Musk) Tilak, a red ritual mark decorates your forehead and the Kaustubha jewel ornaments your chest
The Nava mouktika, a pearl ornament on your nose, your fingertips graced by a flute, while your wrist is ornamented with a bracelet.
O Sri Hari! Your entire body is bedecked with fragrant sandalwood paste, your neck has a beautiful garland
sarvaange harichandanam sulalitam kanthecha mukthavali
gopastree pariveshthito vijayate gopala chudaamani
vijayate gopala chudaamani
O Sri Krishna ! The Kasturi (Musk) Tilak, a red ritual mark decorates your forehead and the Kaustubha jewel ornaments your chest
The Nava mouktika, a pearl ornament on your nose, your fingertips graced by a flute, while your wrist is ornamented with a bracelet.
O Sri Hari! Your entire body is bedecked with fragrant sandalwood paste, your neck has a beautiful garland
This mantra is for remembering Lord Krishna & the priest said you remember
your ista-deva ie the demigod worshipped by the lineage of ones family
I felt it is better to remember Lord Krishna because he is the real ista-deva & lord of all the demigods
Isvara param Krishna
Krishna is the Supreme lord of lords
------------ bramha samhita
& the mantra was very appropriate for that occasion
This shows that all ceremonies are simply meant for remembering & worshiping & glorifying Lord Krishna but this purpose has got lost or ignored or not emphasized in todays marriage.
I was fortunate to remember Krishna at the time of my marriage ceremonies .
It so happened that one devotee from Hyderabad temple came & gifted the maha garlands of
Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan dieties .
We then immediately exchanged it as if doing the ceremony again.
I had arranged a book table for Prabhupad books to distributed at less price
About 300 big books were distributed .I was so happy to hear this
It gave relief from the pains of travel & tiredness.
I thought this event is an amazing memorable event in my life .
All went perfectly in KCON way.