Chapter 48 - Description of Marriage (Śiva and Pārvatī)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Brahmā said:—

1. In the meantime, urged by the priest Garga Himavat started the rite of marriage in the company of Menā.

2. Himavat and Menā held the gold pot on either side. Himavat was bedecked in fine clothes and ornaments.

3. The joyous mountain with the assistance of his priest wooed the bridegroom after offering water, clothes, ornaments, sandal paste etc.

4. Then the brahmins were requested by Himavat

“May the rite be formally started after narrating the Tithi etc. The auspicious hour has come.”

5. After saying “So be it”, the excellent brahmins who knew the proper time proclaimed the Tithi etc. very delightedly.

6. Then Himācala mentally urged with pleasure by lord Śiva, the cause of great enjoyment, smilingly spoke to Śiva.

7. “O Śiva, please do not delay. Please mention your genealogy, saintly lineage,^[1] family, name and your Veda along with your branch of the Vedas.”

Brahmā said:—

8. On hearing these words of Himavat, Śiva of sweet face, turned His face away. He without sorrow attained a pitiable plight.

9. When lord Śiva stood thus unable to say anything in reply and was seen so by the gods, sages, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Siddhas, O Nārada, you did something laughable.

10. Urged by Śiva mentally O Nārada, you, the knower of Brahman with mind fixed in Śiva, played on your Vīṇā.

11. You were forbidden strictly by the lord of mountains, Viṣṇu, gods, sages and by me.

12. When at the will of Śiva you did not desist from it, you were again spoken to thus by the mountain then—“Do not play on the Vīṇā now.”

13. O celestial sage, O wise one, when you were thus strenuously forbidden, you remembered Śiva and spoke to the lord of the mountains.

Nārada said:—

14. You have been utterly deluded. You do not know anything about Śiva of whom you speak. You have no inner vision.

15. Śiva was directly asked by you to mention His Gotra. On this occasion these words are utterly ridiculous and derisible.

16. O mountain, even Viṣṇu, Brahmā and other gods do not know His Gotra, family and name. What then can be said about others?

17. It was a result of the severe penance of Pārvatī that Śiva was seen by you, O mountain, in one day according to whose calculation a crore of Brahmās become annihilated.

18. He is the formless supreme Brahman. He is attributeless. He is greater than Primordial Nature. He has no shape, is free from aberrations He is the master of delusion. He is greater than the greatest.

19. He has no Gotra, family or name. He is independent. He is favourably disposed to His devotees. At

His will He assumes bodies taking many names. He is full of attributes.

20. He is sugotrin (having good gotra) as well as devoid of gotra. He is of noble family as well as devoid of a family. Thanks to Pārvatī’s penance. He has now become your son-in-law, There is no doubt about it.

21. The whole world consisting of the mobile and immobile has been deluded by Him in His divine sport. O excellent mountain, even the wisest of men does not know Him.

22. The head of lord Śiva of phallic image was not seen by Brahma. Viṣṇu who went to the nether worlds did not see His foot. How surprised he was.

23. O excellent mountain, of what avail is this talk? Śiva’s magical power is inscrutable. The three worlds, Viṣṇu, Brahmā and others too are subservient to Him.

24. Hence, O father of Pārvatī, ponder over this deeply. No doubt need be entertained by you even slightly with respect to this bridegroom of your choice.

Brahmā said:—

25. O sage, after saying this, you, of perfect wisdom, who carried out the will of Śiva replied again to the mountain after delighting him with your words.

Nārada said'.—

26. O dear, O great mountain, O father of Pārvatī, listen to my words. After hearing them, give your daughter to Śiva.

27. Know that the divine sound alone is the gotra, and family of Śiva in His divine form, who assumes forms in His divine sport.

28. Śiva is identical with Nāda.^[2] And Nāda is identical with Śiva. There is no difference between the two—Nāda and Śiva.

29. O lord of mountains, Nāda being prior to Śiva in His sportive, attributive form, Nāda is the most excellent of all.

30. Hence, O Himācala, mentally urged by Śiva, the lord of all, I played upon my lute.

Brahmā said:—

31. O sage, on hearing your words, Himavat, the lord of mountains was satisfied and the bewilderment in his mind vanished.

32. Then Viṣṇu, the other gods and the sages said “Well done, Well done”. They were freed of all bewilderment.

33. The shrewd people realised the majesty of lord Śiva. They were pleasantly surprised and began to say to one another.

34. “Śiva is of the form of knowledge. He is greater than the greatest. It is at His bidding that the vast universe is born. He is of independent movement. He can be realised by the greatest concentration. He, the lord of the three worlds, is now seen by us.”

35. Then Meru and the excellent mountains became agitated and simultaneously spoke to Himavat, the lord of mountains.

The mountains said:—

36. O mountain, be firm and stand by your decision to give your daughter. If you say “No”, you stand to lose. We speak the truth. Do not hesitate. Let the girl be given to Śiva.

Brahmā said:—

37. On hearing the words of his friends, Himavat urged by Brahmā gave his daughter to Śiva.

38. “O lord Śiva, I am giving this girl, my daughter to you as your wife. O lord of all, be pleased to accept her.”

39. Himavat gave his daughter Pārvatī, the mother of the three worlds, to Śiva the great, repeating the mantra “Tasmai Rudrāya Mahate”.

40. Placing the hand of Pārvatī in the hand of Śiva the mountain rejoiced much mentally. He had the satisfaction of crossing the ocean of his ambition.

41. Śiva grasped the lotus-like hand of Pārvatī in his hand repeating the Vedic mantras. Lord Śiva was greatly delighted.

42. Touching the ground and showing the worldly course of action, O sage, Śiva recited the mantra “Kāmasya Kodāt”.^[3]

43. There was a great jubilation everywhere that gladdened everyone. Cries of “Victory” rose up in the heaven, the earth and the sky.

44. The delighted people shouted “Well done” and “Obeisance to you”. The Gandharvas sang sweetly with pleasure. The celestial damsels danced.

45. The citizens, the subjects of Himavat rejoiced in their minds. There was great auspicious jubilation.

46. Viṣṇu, Indra, I and the gods were delighted, with the faces beaming like full blown lotuses.

47. Then the gleeful lord of mountains gave the ancillary articles of present to Śiva in a fitting manner.

48. Then his kinsmen worshipped Śiva with devotion and gave Pārvatī and monetary presents to Śiva in accordance with the various injunctions of the Śāstras.

49. O excellent sage, in order to please Śiva and Pārvatī, the delighted Himavat presented many gifts of articles.

50. He gave to Śiva some articles as dowry. Different kinds of gems and gemset vessels were given to him.

51. He gave a hundred thousand cows, a hundred horses duly fitted up and a hundred thousand servant maids of loving nature and endowed with all necessary articles.

52. O sage, he gave a crore of elephants and chariots inlaid with gold and made beautiful by gems.

53. Thus Himavat attained perfect satisfaction after giving his daughter Pārvatī to Śiva, the great lord, in accordance with the rules.

54. Then the lord of mountains with palms joined in reverence eulogised lord Śiva joyously with the hymns of the Yajurveda.^[4]

55. Then at his behest, the sages jubilantly performed the holy ablution over the head of Pārvatī. Being conversant with the Vedas he asked them specially to perform this.

56. Repeating the names of lord Śiva, they performed Paryukṣaṇa rite.^[5] There was a great jubilation and gaiety, O sage.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Before the bride is given away to the bridegroom, the names of the ancestors of both the parties with Gotra and Pravara are announced loudly so that the people assembled should know that both, the bride and the bridegroom, come of good families, the pedigree of which can be traced to many generations. The ceremony is called Gotroccāra in the Gṛhyasūtras.

[2]:

Nāda is a mystical sound identical with Śiva which symbolises his mystical origin.

[3]:

Vājasaneyisaṃhitā (of Śuklayajurveda) 7-48. The mantra begins with “ko'dāt kasmā adāt”.

[4]:

Mādhyandina is a popular recension of the white Yajurveda of which the mantras are used by the priests in the nuptial and other ceremonies.

[5]:

It is a sprinkling of water collected from the sacred rivers by means of the leaves of sacred trees.