Śiva-Pārvatī Vivāha in the Śiva Purāṇa

This is the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī, told in the second half of the Pārvatī Khaṇḍa, in Chapters 29 to 55. The Pārvatī Khaṇḍa is part of the Rudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa. It describes the wedding in great detail. First the Saptarshis (seven ṛshis) go as envoys. Menā’s repeated objections are met with counsel and with Śiva’s own māyā. Then comes the grand procession from Kailāsa with 1120 crore gaṇas, and the wedding rites, including the kanyādāna (giving away of the bride) by Himavān. The celebrations last several days. At the end Śiva and Pārvatī leave together for Kailāsa.

Pārvatī asks for proper rites

Bhagavān Śiva had shown himself to Pārvatī after the test of the brahmacārī (the young celibate student, the form Śiva took to test her). She did not accept him at once. She asked for one thing: that Śiva should go to Himavān’s house in the proper way and ask for her hand, as in a marriage that follows dharma. She said the world must see this wedding done by laukika-dharma (the custom of the world).

Śiva hesitated at first. He said that great beings do not beg for what is already theirs. But Pārvatī stood firm. For the teaching of the world, and for all the generations to come, the wedding must follow the proper form. Śiva agreed, and both went back to their own homes to prepare. This is told in Chapter 29.

Śiva’s first attempts: the dancer and the māyā

Two striking events came before the formal wedding.

Śiva as the naṭa (dancer). Śiva came to Himavān’s city disguised as a naṭa, a divine dancer, playing his ḍamaru (drum). He danced wonderfully before Menā and her household, and all who saw him were amazed at his beauty and skill. Then he asked for Pārvatī as his dakshiṇā (gift for his service). He presented himself as a wandering performer asking for the most precious thing in the house. Menā was still against the marriage and refused. When Himavān returned, he refused as well. Śiva then showed for a moment a cosmic form that held Vishṇu, Brahmā and Sūrya. But the parents did not change their minds, and Śiva left. This is told in Chapter 30.

Śiva’s māyā: speaking against himself. Next, Śiva himself went to Himavān’s city as a Vaishṇava brāhmaṇa. He spoke at length against his own form and character to Menā. He played the part of a critic who warns a mother not to give her daughter to such an inauspicious person. This was Śiva’s own divine play (līlā). The effect was that Menā became even more firmly against the wedding. This is told in Chapter 31.

The Saptarshis as envoys

Śiva called Vasishṭha and the Saptarshis and gave them the task of being his formal wedding envoys (vivāha-dūtas). They went to Himavān’s palace with Arundhatī, Vasishṭha’s wife.

Vasishṭha’s teaching. Vasishṭha gave Himavān a full teaching on Śiva’s nature as Parabrahma. He explained who Śiva truly is beneath his bare-skinned (digambara) look. He told the course of Satī and Pārvatī. He showed why Pārvatī’s marriage to Śiva was the highest destiny possible. As examples he also told of King Anaraṇya, and the account of Padmā and Pippalāda.

Arundhatī’s counsel. Arundhatī met Menā alone. She was a pativratā (faithful wife) of the highest kind, and is named as the reborn Sandhyā. She spoke to Menā as one woman to another and met her fears as a mother directly. Her counsel won where all the arguments about Śiva’s nature had not. Mother spoke to mother, and Menā’s heart began to soften.

Himavān’s consent. Himavān spoke with his mountain brothers, Meru, Mandara, Vindhya and others. All of them agreed, and Himavān gave his formal consent. The Saptarshis went back to Śiva with the news. This is told in Chapters 32 to 36.

Preparations and invitations

Himavān sent formal invitations to all the holy mountains: Meru, Mandara, Maināka, Krauñca, Vindhya and Kailāsa. He also invited all the holy rivers: Godāvarī, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Veṇī, Gaṅgā and Narmadā, who is called Rudra’s own daughter. The whole holy geography of the world was asked as guests.

Viśvakarman was given the task of building the wedding maṇḍapa (pavilion). It was a vast structure of ten thousand yojanas. It held figures of all the devas and ṛshis, and a separate divine house for each honoured guest. The maṇḍapa included copies of Satyaloka, Vaikuṇṭha and Indra’s palace. This is told in Chapters 37 and 38.

Śiva’s procession from Kailāsa

The departure from Kailāsa began when Śiva received the lagna-patrikā, the auspicious letter that gave the time of the wedding. Nārada carried the invitations to all creation.

All the devas gathered at Kailāsa. The Saptamātṛkās (seven divine mothers) dressed Śiva for the wedding:

Serpents became his ornaments.
The crescent moon became his crown.
He was dressed in divine clothes.
He was given all the auspicious wedding ornaments.

Śiva mounted his white bull. The procession formed:

Vishṇu on his left side.
Brahmā on his right.
Indra and all the devas behind.
Caṇḍī, Śiva’s sister, joined the procession.
All the gaṇa commanders with their forces.

The gaṇa army was 1120 crore warriors. Its commanders included Śaṅkhakarṇa, Kekarāksha, Viśākha, Pārijāta, Vīrabhadra and Nandī. The gandharvas Tumburu, Nārada, Hāhā and Hūhū went ahead with divine music. Gāyatrī, Lakshmī and all the divine consorts joined too. This is told in Chapters 39 and 40.

The arrival and Menā’s crisis

Nārada arrived first at the wedding city. He saw the copies that Viśvakarman had built, including a copy of himself. Indra was alarmed by the made-up Indra. Bhagavān Vishṇu calmed everyone.

When the procession arrived, Himavān came forward and welcomed them properly. Menā watched from her palace window. She sent Nārada to show her Śiva as the procession came in. What she saw was overwhelming.

One after another the great beings passed: gandharvas, yakshas, Agni, Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, Indra, Candra, Sūrya, Bṛhaspati, Brahmā and Vishṇu. Each time Menā thought it was Śiva. Each time Nārada put her right: “No, that is Indra” (or Candra, Brahmā or Vishṇu). “The real Śiva is still to come.”

Then Śiva came, in his awe-inspiring form, with his fearful-looking gaṇas all around him. When Menā saw this, she fainted. This is told in Chapters 41 to 43.

Menā’s last refusal and her yielding

When Menā woke, she refused the wedding more fiercely than before. She spoke out of fear as a mother and also in terms of Śiva’s nature. She said she would rather kill Pārvatī than give her to such a being. She shouted at Nārada, the Saptarshis and Arundhatī.

Pārvatī herself stepped forward and spoke to her mother, with clear understanding and a daughter’s love. She defended Śiva’s nature and explained his supremacy. She said with full firmness that she had chosen Śiva in mind, speech and action, and would accept no other.

Brahmā came forward and gave Menā a direct teaching on Śiva-tattva (the truth of Śiva). The Siddhas appealed to her. Bhagavān Vishṇu himself gave a full teaching on Śiva’s nature as the Parameśvara who has form and is also beyond form (saguṇa-nirguṇa).

Menā gave way, but on one condition: she would agree if Śiva appeared in a beautiful form. This is told in Chapter 44.

Śiva’s beautiful form

Nārada went to Śiva and told him Menā’s condition. Śiva, always gracious, changed his look and took a form of great beauty. He shone like millions of suns. He wore ornaments of gold and gems and a garland of jasmine. Vishṇu, Brahmā and all the devas stood round him as his attendants. He rode his decorated bull. Gaṅgā and Yamunā waved the cāmaras, and the eight siddhis danced before him.

Menā saw this form and was fully changed. She said: “My daughter is blessed. My labour in tapas was not wasted. This is what Pārvatī earned.” The women of the whole city ran out of their houses to see Śiva’s shining form, leaving tasks half done, cups half drunk, and one eye with kohl on and one without. All were overcome with joy. This is told in Chapter 45.

The wedding rites

The wedding went on for several days.

Entry and first rites. Himavān did the upavīta rite for both Śiva and Pārvatī. Pārvatī was dressed in divine clothes and jewels. Garga the astronomer announced the auspicious pāṇigrahaṇa muhūrta (time for taking the hand).

The first glance. Before the formal rite, Pārvatī was taken by her attendants to do pūjā to the kuladeva (family deva) outside the city. As she came back, she and Śiva saw each other briefly. The Purāṇa tells of Śiva’s feeling with great devotional closeness: all his limbs thrilled with joy, his eyes were full of Pārvatī alone, and he forgot everything else.

The kanyādāna (Chapter 48). Himavān asked the usual question: “Tell us your gotra, your kula and your name.” Śiva fell silent, because he has no gotra. He is the source of all gotras. In the awkward silence Nārada began to play his vīṇā. When he was asked to stop, Nārada explained that Śiva’s gotra is Nāda itself, the first sound. Nāda is Śiva, and Śiva is Nāda. The playing of the vīṇā was itself the statement of Śiva’s gotra. The mountains and ṛshis who had gathered urged Himavān to go on. Himavān placed Pārvatī’s hand in Śiva’s hand. Śiva took it with Vedic mantras. Joy burst out in all three worlds. Earth, sky and the higher worlds all rang with rejoicing.

The wedding fire (Chapter 49). The sacred fire was lit. Śiva and Pārvatī walked round the fire together. The lājāhoma (offering of puffed grain) was done, with Maināka doing the rite. The episode of Brahmā’s enchantment took place during this rite, and the Vālakhilya ṛshis were born.

The closing rites (Chapter 50). At the instruction of the brāhmaṇas, Śiva put sindūra (red powder) in the parting of Pārvatī’s hair. They were formally seated together as a couple. The hṛdaya-sparśa (touching of hearts) was done. The couple was taken to the bridal chamber. Sarasvatī, Lakshmī and fourteen other divine women came to the chamber and made playful remarks (parihāsa) to the divine couple. The fourteen were Sāvitrī, Gaṅgā, Aditi, Śacī, Lopāmudrā, Arundhatī, Ahalyā, Tulasī, Svāhā, Rohiṇī, Pṛthivī, Śatarūpā, Saṃjñā and Ratī.

Kāma Sañjīvana, the bringing back of Kāma (Chapter 51). At the wedding feast Ratī came to Śiva with her sorrow, holding the ashes of Kāmadeva wrapped in a cloth. She wept and begged for her husband’s return. All the divine women joined her plea. Śiva was moved with compassion and cast his amṛta-drishṭi (deathless glance) on the ashes. Kāmadeva rose up alive and shining, in his own beautiful form, with his bow and flower arrows. He bowed to Śiva, received his blessing, and was sent to live with Vishṇu.

The feast (Chapter 52). Himavān gave a splendid wedding feast. All the devas, gaṇas and ṛshis, including Nandī, Bhṛṅgī and Vīrabhadra, ate in joy. The celebrations went on for several days, with the caturthī (fourth-day) rites done on the fourth day.

Departure for Kailāsa

After several days of celebration, the Saptarshis told Himavān that it was time to leave. Menā wept and fainted again as she said goodbye to Pārvatī, and gave her daughter into Śiva’s care. She reminded Śiva of Pārvatī’s lifelong devotion: Pārvatī had wept at any word against Śiva and glowed at praise of him.

Pārvatī’s goodbye to her family was met with weeping from all: her mother, her father, her brothers and sisters, the divine women and all of creation. Even Śiva wept.

Before she left, a brāhmaṇa woman taught Pārvatī the dharma of the pativratā (Chapter 54).

Pārvatī sat in her palanquin. Himavān went with the procession as far as the garden outside the city, where the devas and gaṇas were waiting. He bowed to Śiva and went back. Śiva and Pārvatī left together for Kailāsa, where they would live in eternal union. This is told in Chapters 53 to 55.

Sources

Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Pārvatī Khaṇḍa, Chapters 29–55
Chapter 29: Pārvatī asks for proper rites
Chapter 30: Śiva as the dancer
Chapter 31: Śiva’s māyā and his words against himself
Chapters 32–36: the Saptarshis, Vasishṭha, Arundhatī and Himavān’s consent
Chapters 37–38: invitations and the maṇḍapa
Chapters 39–40: the procession from Kailāsa
Chapters 41–43: the arrival and Menā’s crisis
Chapter 44: Menā’s last refusal
Chapter 45: Śiva’s beautiful form
Chapter 48: the kanyādāna
Chapter 49: the wedding fire
Chapter 50: the closing rites
Chapter 51: Kāma Sañjīvana
Chapter 52: the feast
Chapters 53–55: the departure for Kailāsa, with the pativratā-dharma teaching in Chapter 54

Śiva-Pārvatī Vivāha (Śiva Purāṇa)