vālmīki ramayanam bālakāṇḍa sarga 73, śloka 27, 28
iyaṃ sītā mama sutā sahadharmacarī tava
pratīccha caināṃ bhadraṃ te pāṇiṃ gṛhṇīṣva pāṇinā ||27||
pativratā mahābhāgā chāyevānugatā sadā
ityukatvā prākṣipadrājā mantrapūtaṃ jalaṃ tadā ||28||
Word-by-word reordered meaning
iyaṃ sītā - this (is) Sita, mama sutā - my daughter tava - (who shall be) your sahadharmacarī - companion in righteousness (right living)
gṛhṇīṣva pāṇiṃ pāṇinā - take her hand in yours caināṃ pratīccha -and (so) accept her (as wife)
bhadraṃ te- (let there be) good/auspicious (let there be) with you!
pativratā mahābhāgā chāyevānugatā sadā - (let Sita be your) virtuous/loyal wife, conferred with prosperity, (and) like a shadow follow in your footsteps, always
ityukatvā - thus having spoken, tadā -then rājā prākṣipat- the King poured (on the held-hands) (as oblation) mantrapūtaṃ jalaṃ - water sanctified by chants.
These shlokas are recalled in every Hindu wedding ritual, exemplifying the divine vows of marriage as per the best of our tradition, depicted in no less a scripture than the world's great epic Ramayana.
