5d. Gifts to the Bride

[Full title: 5. Women in the Atharvavedic Society, (d): Gifts to the Bride]

The reference of offering certain gifts to the bride, on the occasion of the wedding ceremony, to be carried to the husband’s home, has been made in some Atharvavedic mantras. The term vahatu has been used to denote such types of gifts. Sāyaṇācārya,^[1] while paraphrasing the term, states that the things, gifted to one’s daughter by her father’s family with affection and carried by the groomsmen to the sonin-law’s home is called vahatu. Such gifts contained valuable articles like clothes, ornaments etc.^[2] That Tvaṣṭṛ offered certain gifts to his daughter, at the time of her marriage, in order to please her, has been recorded in the Atharvaveda.^[3] As the term vahatu has, once, been interpreted as vivāha, i.e. marriage,^[4] it may be assumed that the custom of offering such gifts in marriage was necessarily practised in those days. Sāyaṇācārya,^[5] in his commentary on a Ṛgvedic mantra, which is repeated in the Atharvaveda^[6] with a few variations, states that gifts, in the form of cows were sent to Soma, to whom Savitṛ wanted to give the hands of his daughter, Sūryā, on the Maghā nakṣatra. The bride, on the other hand, was sent to the groom’s home on the Phalgunī nakṣatra.^[7] In the Ṛgveda^[8] as well as in the Atharvaveda,^[9] it is stated that firstly Sūryā, along with certain gifts was given to Agni and then, Agni gave her to Soma along with the presents. That the bride was presented certain costly things may be derived from the prayers to protect the same on the path, while carrying to the groom’s home.^[10]

Besides, the practice of sending the bride to her husband’s home being associated with female servants, may well be traced out in the Ṛgveda^[11] as well as in the Atharvaveda.^[12] Thus, it seems that the practice of offering valuable gifts to the bride at the time of her marriage became an indispensable custom up to the time of the Atharvaveda and perhaps, for this reason, it is stated there that the maiden of a poor family causes trouble to her parents.^[13]