The Saat Pheras of Hindu Marriage: Their Significance and Meaning

It is clear that the Saat Pheras play a significant role in Hindu marriage and that the wedding would be lacking without this Saat phera ritual. How does Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages work? The seven circuits that the couple completes around the fire are known as pheras, and because a promise is made at each round, you can refer to them as the seven promises of marriage.
What exactly are the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages and what do they mean? What promises are the bride and groom making to one another specifically? We can break that down for you. Let's continue by discussing the significance of each phera in the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages in India.
1. The First Phera: A prayer for nourishment
Groom: "Om esha ekapadi bhava iti prathaman"
Bride: "Dhanam dhanyam pade vadet"
The bride continues to lead the pair as they walk around the sacred fire during the first of the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages In Hindu marriage the bride assumes leadership at the start of the seven pheras. In the first round, the groom commits to constantly look out for his wife and any future children by giving them a happy, honorable life, and nutritious food.
The bride, in exchange, commits to the husband that she will share in his responsibilities and will always look out for the groom's and the family she is joining's health and welfare. Simple and sincere. She swears to do everything in her power to be a nice wife to him.
2. The Second Phera: A prayer for courage in hardship and illness
Groom: "Om oorje jara dastayaha"
Bride: Kutumburn rakshayishyammi sa aravindharam”
This is the only one of the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages that is most comparable to the vows recited at Christian weddings. One of the seven vachans of marriage, the second vachan sends a plea to the Lord Agni for the couple's health and nutrition on all levels—physical, mental, and spiritual—making it one of the most beautiful vachans in terms of its significance. The bride is asked to support the groom through good times and bad, through his ups and downs, and to always share in his responsibility to look out for the family. The bride, in turn, requests the groom's undivided love and undivided attention while committing to always be his strength in both good and bad times.
3. The Third Phera: A prayer for good fortune
Groom: "Om Rayas Santu Joraa Dastayaha"
Bride: "Tava Bhakti as Vadedvachacha"
In a Hindu wedding, the couple's meaning and significance for each vow are profound. The third one is now available. A prayer is made to the Almighty in the third vow of the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages asking for money and prosperity so that one may live a happy, contented life. The bride and groom promise to remain faithful to one another forever and uphold the marriage's sanctity at this phera.
In addition to asking the Lord for abundant mercy in terms of financial possessions and happiness, the couple also prays for success in terms of emotional health, emotional connection, and marital happiness. They pray that God will grant them a long and happy marriage.
4.The Fourth Phera- A prayer for family harmony.
Groom: "Om Mayo Bhavyas Jaradastaya ha"
Bride: "Lalayami Cha Pade Vadet"
When analyzing the meaning of the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages the fourth phera stands out as being particularly significant since it conveys a more familial sense, something that is very important to and close to Indians in general. Marriage is not possible without a family. Therefore, the pair must promise in these seven vows of marriage to bring their families together as well for a tie that will last forever.
Indian marriages involve the union of two families as well as the union of two individuals. The couple's family is the primary recipient of this Shaadi ka phera. The bride is grateful for giving the husband the happiness he has been seeking and longing for his entire life. She also instils a sense of sacredness in his life, for which he is grateful. On the other hand, the bride makes a pledge to always do her best to make her husband happy. They also swear to show a lot of love and respect for the family's elders and to take care of them. In essence, they promise to bring together the two families that are about to become one for all time: family values, love, respect, and understanding.
5. The Fifth Phera: A wish for honorable descendants
Groom: "Om Prajabhayaha Santu Jaradastayaha"
Bride: "Arte Arba Sapade Vadet"
What would the seven vows of marriage be without a reference to and prayer for procreation? Particularly in earlier times, children were seen as a significant component of marriage. Even though there may be major current changes and more individuals choosing to forgo having children, Indian custom is deeply anchored in the past and still views children as a significant component of marriage.
Thus, it is where the fifth Phera—out of the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages comes into play. In addition, the groom is now in charge. The bride follows the groom as he circumambulates the sacred fire beginning with the fifth phera. The couple asks the Almighty for blessings to complete their family and have honourable offspring because marriage is viewed as incomplete without a child in this promise. It is an appeal or petition to the Lord to grant them a child who is healthy, robust, and has morals. Additionally, they promise to be good parents and raise their kids independently, without the aid of others. Although it may now appear outdated and conventional to some, it is nonetheless stunning.
6. The sixth Phera: A Prayer of good health.
Groom: "Rutubhyah shat padi bhava”
Bride: "Yajna Hom Shashthe Vacho Vadet"
In a Hindu wedding, each vow focuses on significant and crucial facets of the couple's marriage. One of them, the importance of which cannot be understated, is health. How is a happy marriage possible without excellent health? The couple prays to the Lord Almighty and asks for His blessings for a disease-free and healthy life on the sixth of the Saat Pheras of Hindu marriages in India.
In this vachan, the groom asks the bride to bring joy and tranquility into his life so that they can both be content, strong, and most importantly, healthy, together. In addition to making the vow to always be by his side in good times and bad, the bride also makes the same pledge.
7. The seventh Phera: A prayer for enduring love and friendship.
Groom: "Om Sakhi Jaradastayahga"
Bride: "Attramshe Sakshino Vadet Pade"
The couple prays for a long marriage built on love, loyalty, and understanding in the final phera of Saat Pheras in Hindu marriages couples commit to staying by each other's sides and supporting one another through not just this birth but also several others in the future. The final promise in the wedding ceremony guarantees that rather than growing away over time, the pair would remain close and have a stronger relationship as their marriage progresses.