...sign of our times...
Upon being handed a journal as a gift, a nine year-old asks his mom what it was. The mom says that it was a notebook to record his thoughts and feelings, every day. The kid replies, "You mean, it is a blog...on paper." Reader's Digest, Oct 2008 issueSignificance of mamgaLasUtra
This foregoing comment by a member on MYP elicited the following response from another. The highlight is the meaning of the important shloka enunciated below.
Comment:
> Things like mangala sutra etc are just symbols of ones
> committment and bondage with the husband.
Response by Kesava Rao Tadipatri:
It is not just a symbol – it is lot more than that.
When the mangalasutra is being tied, the husband says (or atleast supposed to say) the mantra-
—mANgalyaM tantunAnEna mamajIvanahetunA
kaNThe badhnAmi subhage sanJiva sharadAM shataM—
“Oh fortune of my life! Through this mangalasutra, which will form the basis of my life, that I am going to tie around your neck, may you live for full hundred sharatkAla-s (years)”
Through this mantra, the husband invokes the blessings of the Supreme Lord thru tatvabhimAni devata-s. The word Mangalya itself indicates auspiciousness. The tying represents tying of two lives (and two families as well). The dawn of a new kind of fortune is prayed for, which we pray the Gods to preserve by being in the MangalasUtra. The word sUtra means a formula (formula of life). Instead of saying just years, the word sharat season is used for two reasons. That follows the monsoon and the atmosphere is very clear. Let the minds of the couple be clear. SharatkAla is a joyous season and a favorite of poets. So, it augurs fortune and joy that binds two lives together.