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The Sikh
ceremony begins as the bride, the groom, relatives, and friends bow before the
Guru Granth and congregate in His midst.
Ardas
(Prayer) and
Wedding Sermon
The couple and
their parents stand up and an Ardas is offered seeking God’s blessings. The
Granthi, the person in charge of the ceremony, addresses the couple and explains
the duties of their new life. The groom is to vow fidelity to the wife, while
the bride is to vow fidelity to her husband. The husband protects the life and
honor of his wife, and in turn she remains content with the lot of her husband.
The Guru is an eternal witness to their vows. The couple signifies their
consent by bowing before the Guru Granth.
Lavan
(Wedding Hymns)
The groom’s
scarf is placed in the hands of the bride. The Granthi then reads the lavan—four
nuptial stanzas accompanied by musical instruments. At the end of reading each
lavan, the groom followed by the bride |
walks around the Guru Granth in a clockwise direction while ragis (singers) sing
the hymn. The four nuptial stanzas explain in detail the development stages of
love between husband and wife and an individual and God.
In the first stage, the Guru urges the couple to perform duties to the
family and the community and to practice Simran (meditating upon God’s name).
Simran washes away past sins and brings stability to mind.
In the second
stage, egotism and all fears vanish and one can recognize God’s presence in
everyone and everything.
In the third stage, one
begins to feel Bairaag, an intense longing for a complete union with the
Beloved. The final stage is Harmony, reached by one whose mind, through Simran,
has gained stability and for whom remembrance of the Lord has become the
sweetest of all pleasures. The stage of Harmony is of complete oneness. The
bride and the groom feel and think alike and both completely identify with each
other; they become one soul in two bodies.
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