Marriage vows
Over the years I have sat with a smile on my face whenever I have seen members of my family and friends nod their heads wisely in acceptance of what they have been asked.
I refer to the question that the officiating priest asks the witness representing the father of the bridegroom: "In the presence of this assemblage which has gathered here in this town (the priest specifying the day, month and year of King Yazdegird, of the Sasanian dynasty of auspicious Iran) say whether you have consented according to the rules and customs of the Mazdayasnan religion to take this bride in marriage for the bridegroom on a promise of paying her two thousand dirhams of pure white silver and two dinars of red gold (of the coinage) of the city of Nishapore?” (Translation from the book mentioned earlier.)
For an educated community like ours, it seems ridiculous for us to have repeated this over the years. Most people, of course, do not know what the words mean. Why have our esteemed scholars and priests not pointed this out or changed it?
If, however, my presumption is false, I earnestly hope the author of the book and others who have given similar translations be sued and a fatwa is not issued against yours truly!
meherbai36@hotmail.com
A Parsi wedding ceremony
Farrokh Vajifdar, independent researcher from London, explains:
For a very sober study one must consult Prof Irach Taraporewala’s superb 45-page essay titled "The Marriage Service of the Parsis” in the Professor Jackson Memorial Volume (K. R. Cama Oriental Institute, 1954). There, in addition to his masterly linguistic analyses (Sanskrit, Pahlavi and Pazand), are invaluable notes offering insights into the origins of the modern Parsi ceremony. The author has provided a "genealogy” of the various manuscripts reliably dated from 1278 to 1920. The Sanskrit by Dinidaru Bahman is claimed to be from the Pahlavi; it must be late Pahlavi and it may even have been translated from an earlier Pazand version.
Among the points made by Taraporewala are that the ceremony "was repeated formerly twice, once in Pazand and then again in Sanskrit;” that "The Sanskrit part of the service, as recited at present by the ordinary priests is largely unintelligible;” "I feel strongly that the Sanskrit should represent... as correctly as possible the high marriage ideals of our ancestors.” He then gives a seven part arrangement of the full rite.
Of no less interest are the extracts given by Herbadh Dhabhar in The Persian Rivayats of Hormazyat Framarz and Others (K. R. Cama Oriental Institute, 1932). From these we encounter some very pertinent answers from the priests of Iran: age of betrothal of girls is nine; espousal at 13; "Again it is represented (in India) ... that a young girl two or three years old is espoused to a husband. This is not good.” The dowry or bride price is from the groom’s family to the bride’s. Says the bride’s father: "If my daughter receives 2,000 dirhams in dowry, I will give her to him.”
To the (15th century) question: "Whether the mahr (i.e. the marriage gift settled upon the wife) is in the good religion of the Mazdayasnans,” the Iranian priests’ reply is "In this quarter (Iran) the mahr is announced ... 2,000 dirhams of white and pure silver and two dinars of red gold of the Nishapur currency ... Let it be known that it should be recited thus.”