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Social Rituals
There are many occasions in the lives of both individuals and communities which are celebrated by rituals. Because Jains have lived for thousands of years in the middle of a predominantly Hindu society, it is natural that their social rituals should in some cases have been influenced by Hindu patterns; however, there are distinctive Jain rituals used at various times - for example, the naming of a newly born child, entering a new house, starting a new business, and indeed almost any significant occasion in life. Generally, these begin with the recitation of the Namaskar Mantra; Snatra Puja and other religious rites may also be performed. Below, we describe in more detail the rituals followed on two great occasions which affect practically every lay person - marriage, and death.
MARRIAGE
In all cultures, marriage is an important institution, and is celebrated with fitting rituals. These reflect the significance of the marriage for the couple involved, for whom it represents the union of soul and body to form a new family, and also its wider significance for society, for marriage creates the basic unit in human society which is essential for the continuance and stability of mankind. Because of this importance, marriage rituals generally seek to provide religious sanction and guidance for this important step.
different life stages in the work Achar Dinkar Granth ("Book of Daily Duties') compiled by the monk Shri Vardhaman Suri in 1411 AD - in fact, the ceremony is much older than this, being mentioned by various earlier authors including the great Acharya Hemachandra.
These true Jain rituals were lost for many centuries, and Jains tended to turn to a modified form of the Hindu marriage ceremony. However, the prayers and mantras are full of significance, and help the couple towards happiness, prosperity, longevity and spiritual advancement. It is therefore right that these ceremonies should be restored to the Jain community; the order set out below was compiled by Dr Natubhai Shah, Shri Vinod Kapashi, and Dr Paul Mareti.
In Indian culture, stress is particularly laid on the idea of marriage as an event within the community - it is a time in which, not only two individuals, but two families form a lasting union. Thus, until the time of marriage, children will generally live with their parents, and it will be their parents' responsibility to introduce them with the help of suitable intermediaries) to prospective marriage partners. It is quite misleading to refer to this pattern as arranged marriage' - in fact, the individual man and woman have every opportunity over a long period of time to get to know possible partners' strengths and weaknesses, and the decision whether to marry or not belongs to them alone.
The actual marriage ritual is performed in Sanskrit or Ardha Magadhi, and the mantras are rich and full of meaning; we describe below the main aspects of the ceremony in English.
After marriage, the couple begin a new life together - for the Jain, this is a fulfilment of the role of layman or laywoman within the fourfold social structure defined by Lord Mahavira. The other two groups within this structure, monks and nuns, make a total renunciation of the world; married people have a prime responsibility to maintain social structures. It is the experience of many young married people in Indian society that love, rather than being a romantic feeling at the start of a relationship which may grow cold later, is something which comes about over the years once husband and wife have entered into the commitment of a settled married life. This may be why so few Indian marriages end in divorce.
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We reproduce below a Jain marriage ceremony, based on that provided as one of the sixteen sacraments for
30) Jain Education Interational 2010_03
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