Has Suhagraat (1st consummation of husband & wife) & honeymoon been mentioned in the sciprtures?

Question

Has Scriptures contain anything about Suhagraat & honeymoon? If yes, what they talk about these rituals? And were these ritual even followed before Kaliyuga?

Answer 1

There is a story how Mother Tulasi Devi and Yogi Danavendra ShankhaChuuda had their honeymoon.

But before that, I will mention how beautiful ShankhaChuuda looks, because people have an unfounded assumption that Daanavas , Daityas , Rakshasas look Ugly or Fearful er cetera.

Devi Puraana , Book 9, Chapter 18

The signs of the blooming youth had just begun to be visible in the body of S’ankhachûda as if the God of Love incarnated in his body; his colour resembled that of white Champakas and all his body was decked with jewelled ornaments. His face resembled the autumnal full moon; his eyes were extended like the lotus leaves. The beautiful form was seen to sit in an excellent aerial car, made of pearls and jewels. Two jewel earrings, nice and elegant, suspended upto his cheek; his neck was adorned with Pârijâta flower garlands; and his body was smeared with Kumkum and scented sandal-paste.

Mahishasura, Shumba, Nishumbha , Madhu, Kaitabha all looked very beautiful. The point is- Daanavas, Daityas, Rakshasas et cetera do not look Ugly, or Fearful et cetera. ;)

Now the Union-

Devi Puraana, Book 9, Chapter 19

The Creator Brahmâ, blessing them, departed to His own abode. The Dânava married Tulasî under the Gandharba method.

In the beautiful lovely house the Dânavendra remained in perfect enjoyment. Tulasî, too, being busy with fresh intercourses, became almost mad after them. The chaste Tulasî and S’ankhachûda both became deeply immersed in the ocean of bliss in their sexual union and began to enjoy sixty-four sorts of amorous sports. In the S’âstras on love affairs, all the connections of limbs with limbs that are described, as the lover and the loved desire, they both enjoyed those with perfect freedom and pleasure. The place was solitary; to add to it, the scenery was grand and lovely; so nothing remained untasted of the several tastes of amorous pleasures. On the banks of the river, in flower-gardens, they slept on the flower beds smeared with sandal-paste, and enjoyed the amorous pleasures. Both were adorned with jewel ornaments; both were skilled in amorous practices; so no one desisted. The chaste Tulasî out of her nimbleness due to young age, easily stole into the heart of her husband. S’ankhachûda, too, a great expert in knowing other’s amorous sentiments, attracted the heart of Tulasî. Tulasî obliterated the sandal marks from the breast of the King and the sign of tilak from his nose. The King also wiped away the dot of Sindur and Alakâ (vermillion) marks from Tulasî’s forehead and put marks of nails on her round plump breasts. Tulasî also hurt the King’s left side by her bracelets. Then the King bit the lips of Tulasî. Thus each one embraced the other, kissed each other and each one began to champoo the thighs, legs, etc. When both of them thus spent their time in amorous sports, they got up and began to dress themselves as they desired.

Tulasi gave him beautiful clothes and put rings on his hand and offering him excellent gems, rare in the three worlds, said - “O Lord! I am your maidservant” and uttering this repeatedly bowed down to the feet of her husband with devotion. She then got up and with smiling countenance began to look on his face with a steadfast gaze.

The king S’ankhachûda then attracted his dear Tulasî to his breast and took off the veil fully from her face and began to look on that, next moment he kissed on her cheek and lips , and decorating Tulasi with beautiful clothes and garlands, he put red dye on her feet and toes and placing those feet on his breastutterred repeatedly :-- “I am your servant” and then held her on his breast.

They then left the hermitage, in that state and began to travel in various places. In the Malaya mountain, in mountains after mountains, in solitary flower gardens, in the mountain caves, in beautiful sea-beaches, on the banks of the Puspabhadrâ river, cool with watery breeze, in various rivers and riversides, in Vispandana forest echoed with sweet songs of the birds of the vernal season. They then went from Vispandana forest to the Surasana forest, from the Surasana, forest to the Nandana forest, from the Nandana forest to the nice Chandana forests, from Chandana forest to Champaka, Ketakî; Mâdhavî Kunda, Mâlatî, and Kumuda and lotus forests; thence they went to the forest of desire gratifying trees (Kalpavriksa forest,) and Pârijâta trees. They then went to the solitary place Kânchan, thence to the Kânchî (forest) they then went to the Kîñjalaka forest, thence to the Kânchanâkar (the gold mine), thence to Kanchuka and various other forests echoed with the sweet sounds of cuckoos.

There, on beds strewn with flowers and scented with sandal paste they both enjoyed each other to their hearts content and with great pleasure. But none of them, whether S’ankhachûda or Tulasî, got quenched with their thirst. Rather their passions were inflamed like the fire on which clarified butter is poured (in sacrifices). The King of the Dânavas, then, brought Tulasî to his own kingdom and, there, in his own beautiful garden house, he incessantly enjoyed her.

This story is also found in Brahma Vaivarta Puraana Khanda 2, Chapter 16.