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Arrival of the Groom's Party
Groom and his party arrive at the venue of the marriage in a procession. They are received by bride's family and groom is led to an archway immediately outside the wedding hall. He is asked to stand on a low platform called a bajoth. The Navkar Mantra (Jain prayer) is recited to mark the beginning of the auspicious occasion. The Navkar Mantra is the most sacred and primary of Jain verses, invoking the pancha (five) Parmeshtis - the Arihant (enlightened, perfect souls), the Siddha (the liberated souls; those free of all karma), the Āchärya (the heads of congregations), the Upādhyāy (the ascetic teachers), and the Sadhus (the ascetic aspirants).
નવકાર મંત્ર
નમો અરિહંતાણં
નમો સિદ્ધાણં
નમો આયરિયાણ
નમો ઉવજ્ઝાયાણં
નમો લોએ સવ્વ સાહૂણં
એસો પંચ નમુક્કારો
સવ્વ પાવપ્પણાસણો
મંગલાણં ચ સવ્વેસિ
પઢમં હવઈ મંગલે
navakāra mantra namo arihantāṇam namo siddhanam
namo ayariyāņamp
namo uvajjhāyāņṇam namo loē savva sähūņam eso pañcha namukkāro savva pāvappanäsano mangalāņam cha savvēsim paḍhamam havai mangalam
2. Ponkhna Ceremony
Assisted by the priest, bride's mom performs the Ponkhna, or the welcoming ceremony in which bad omens are dispelled before groom's enters the wedding hall. At the end of this ceremony, the priest asks the groom to step on two earthenware saucers and to crush them. The groom is then led inside the wedding hall to the mandapah by his best men. They take a seat, followed by the bride's parents.
શ્રી સંશ્રયઃ વિશ્વાસ્ત્રઃ, નિરંજન, નિર્મમ
નિષ્કલંક, સ એવ ભગવાન,
