CHENNAI:An electrical engineer who ran an air pollution-control systems factory for three decades, 73-year-old V R Anil Kumar decided to study ancient Hindu marriage rituals when his Christian in-laws asked him for pointers. He has now come out with a novel Anveshana-The Search, which delves into the Hindu way of living.
What made you to research on Hindu traditions at 60?
In 2002, my son, who lives in the US, decided to marry a Christian girl there. After a while, I agreed to the marriage and it took place in both Hindu and Christian rituals. The parents of my daughter-in-law asked me to send a Sanskrit quote to print on the invitation. I was surprised that they had shown such interest and I thought I should do something too.
How did you find a way?
I joined the MA Sanskrit course at University of Madras and completed post-graduation in 2005. Later, I took up research on ‘Comparative Study of Vivaha Samskara in the Griha Sutras of the four Vedas’ under the guidance of S Revathy, dept of Sanskrit, and was awarded a PhD. Later, I started the Kalpa Heritage Trust.
What does Kalpa Heritage Trust do?
The objective is to preserve Indian scriptural heritage, especially those on the Vedic rituals and practices. We have a digital library that collects and stores many manuscripts, including those under the Kalpa Shastra, which deals with rituals. The material is available online to everyone, free-of-cost.
Could you tell us a bit about
Anveshana — The Search?
It’s a modern day tale of dharma, karma and renunciation. It is a novel in which all characters deal with the existential search of human beings, at different ages and therefore bring in different perspectives. It also describes the traditional way of Hindu living and its scriptures.
How have Hindu marriages changed in the past 3,000 years?
The basic rituals have remained the same, but there have been additions and deletions. Traditionally, there was no dowry system or Sati; they were added and later abolished. There is no hard and fast rule in Hinduism.
Have there been significant changes in Hindu marriage rituals over the years?
There have been many changes over the years. In fact, even in the early days, rituals were not rigidly followed. Like the Vedic marriage rituals, other sections of people had other rituals. Among Nairs of Kerala, a mere presentation of a mundu or podava by the groom to the bride was considered marriage. Many communities like the Chettiars of Tamil Nadu and Kodavas conduct marriages without priests and mantras. In some forest-dwelling tribes, the boy and the girl go away to deep forests and on return, are considered married. Geographical and social conditions have led to changes. Grihya Sutras, which describe the marriage rituals, varied according to the branch to which they belonged. For example, one Grihya Sutra says that one should practice rituals as per the traditions of the region. And another says that one should consult old women on the traditions and follow their advice. Though the basic rituals of finding a bride, welcoming the groom, Panigrahana, Saptapadi, Ashmarohana, Laja Homa, Griha Pravesha and several others have remained more or less the same; a lot of additions and changes have taken place in other minor rituals. For instance, tying the mangalsutra (thali) was not a Vedic practise, it was added later.
How did you find the research material?
I was able to collect all the 18 Grihya Sutras of the four Vedas and was able to do a comparative study of Vivaha Samskara given in these texts. It was not easy to collect them – I had to travel quite a bit to collect the texts.
In Hindu mythology, there are many romantic relationships outside the traditional marriage. So do the scriptures sanction such relationships? Or do they believe them to be just as valid?
One gets involved in relations outside marriage due to one’s own propensity and desire and not because some scripture has prescribed it. Many societies tolerate such practices. When a groom promises the bride that he will not transgress her wishes in dharma, kama and artha, how can he think of relationship outside marriage?