The English-Vinglish priests Sandhya Soman,TNN

[prasad1]

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There are many ways to say 'I do'. When a Maharashtrian boy from Kolhapur decided to get married to his Polish fiancA©, he decided to say it in English. To be specific, he got a priest to guide them through a traditional Marathi wedding, chant the relevant mantras and then explain their meaning in plain English to his bride. "I feel that now my bahu understands the rituals, and the family better," says Manav's mother Shubhada Bharde.


Inter-continental and multi-cultural Indian weddings have pushed up the demand for English-speaking priests. Even youngsters who come from the same linguistic background are now demanding that the Sanskrit chants be demystified for them. Two Sanskrit institutes in Rajasthan, the popular destination for splashy NRI weddings, had special English classes for priests a few years ago. Elsewhere too, purohits and shastris are learning to make themselves understood in English.


Pune priestess Manisha Shete belongs to that rare breed of women priests who is also proficient in English. But when she began she was comfortable only in Marathi and Sanskrit. Shete then did a course in spoken English and started reading English translations of religious texts. She says she now conducts a number of NRI and multicultural weddings where she provides English and Hindi side notes to the rituals.


In USA we have been invited to many marriages, we have seen Variations, ​some conservative (according to my background), and some totally bizarre.

 

[renuka]

Translation is fine but as long the translation does not replace the original verses.

I feel if we really want to know the meaning of mantras and shlokas take the trouble to learn it.

I am not saying this cos I made the effort to self study Sanskrit but I feel we need to put in effort to know what we are doing.

No doubt a translation makes everyone understand what is happening but also it has a risk to make us "lazy" and this can cause a decline in interest of general public in getting to learn mantras and shlokas etc.

So if this trend of getting translation goes on without caution then one fine day we will hear only English rendition of any mantra.


Fancy hearing only :

"I tie this string which represents my life around your neck O' auspicious one..may we live to see a hundred autumns together"

Then everyone will start to wonder why is the priest reciting "I tie this string"??and the groom is just a proxy one?? and the priest actually "married" the bride!

So some amount of mystery does save the situation!LOL

 

[ashwin_ash]

Translation is fine but as long the translation does not replace the original verses.

I feel if we really want to know the meaning of mantras and shlokas take the trouble to learn it.

I am not saying this cos I made the effort to self study Sanskrit but I feel we need to put in effort to know what we are doing.

No doubt a translation makes everyone understand what is happening but also it has a risk to make us "lazy" and this can cause a decline in interest of general public in getting to learn mantras and shlokas etc.

So if this trend of getting translation goes on without caution then one fine day we will hear only English rendition of any mantra.


Fancy hearing only :

"I tie this string which represents my life around your neck O' auspicious one..may we live to see a hundred autumns together"

Then everyone will start to wonder why is the priest reciting "I tie this string"??and the groom is just a proxy one?? and the priest actually "married" the bride!

So some amount of mystery does save the situation!LOL

You are saying this because the godman you follow advocated a deep study of Sanskrit.

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Renu,

Good joke about 'mAngalyam ....' manthram. You should not forget that it is the groom who says this, holding the 'thAli'

and the priest is ONLY prompting him!

One priest in our village used to say every married lady's name, starting with 'mama dharma pathni'!! :faint2:

I told him to change it to 'mama-innu sollungO' before 'dharma pathni'!

 

[SANDHYAV]

wow! i guess, the couples will watch the video every wedding anniversary and get a 7th dimension to the ritual every time.

i envy them, they dont have to focus on another religious scriptures for 7 years after the marriage - ATLEAST!

dharma drama!!