Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Ancient India: Kinship, Caste and Class

Question:

The following mantra from the Rigveda, possibly included around c. 1000 BCE, holds significance in Hindu weddings, as it is traditionally chanted by the priest during the marriage ritual:

"I release her from her paternal home but not from her new abode. I firmly bind her to her husband's home, so that by the benevolence of Indra, she may be blessed with noble sons and cherish the love of her husband.

Indra, a prominent deity symbolizing valour, warfare, and rain, is invoked in this mantra. The terms 'here' and 'there' refer to the bride's father's home and her husband's home, respectively."

What do the terms "here" and "there" refer to in the mantra?

Options:

The day and night of the wedding ceremony

The offerings made during the ritual

The husband's homes and the bride's father's home, respectively

The bride's father's and husband's homes, respectively

Correct Answer:

The bride's father's and husband's homes, respectively

Explanation:

The following mantra from the Rigveda, possibly included around c. 1000 BCE, holds significance in Hindu weddings, as it is traditionally chanted by the priest during the marriage ritual:

"I release her from her paternal home but not from her new abode. I firmly bind her to her husband's home, so that by the benevolence of Indra, she may be blessed with noble sons and cherish the love of her husband.

Indra, a prominent deity symbolizing valour, warfare, and rain, is invoked in this mantra. The terms 'here' and 'there' refer to the bride's father's home and her husband's home, respectively."