Śiva Pārvatī Vivāha (Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa)

The Bāla Kāṇḍa of the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa tells of the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī. The devas had asked Śiva to marry after Kāma was burnt, and Śiva agreed. The Saptarshis carried the glad news to Himavān, who fixed the wedding muhūrta. Śiva came as the bridegroom with his strange retinue of bhūtas, pretas, piśācas and gaṇas. The women of Himavān’s house were shocked, and Mainādevī wept without comfort. Nārada came to her help and told her who Pārvatī truly is: Jagajjananī Satī, born again. Joy came back, and the wedding was held with full Vedic rites.

The wedding is announced

The Saptarshis had told Śiva of Pārvatī’s unshakeable devotion, and Śiva was fully satisfied. He gave the ṛshis this instruction: “Go to Girikanyā (the mountain’s daughter) and test her love for me once more. Then go to Himavān and arrange for her to be brought home.” The ṛshis obeyed. They visited Pārvatī a second time and then went on to Himavān’s house, where they gave the glad news.

Himavān called his purohitas, who set an auspicious muhūrta for the wedding according to the Vedic rules. The Saptarshis carried the lagna-patrikā (the formal wedding letter) to Brahmaloka. Brahmā and all the devas took the wedding letter in their hands, pressed it to their eyes in joy and were filled with the highest bliss.

The bridegroom’s party arrives

The devas sounded their dundubhis (large drums), and the sound filled the eight directions. Apsarās danced and gandharvas sang. Good omens appeared everywhere. All the dwellers of the celestial worlds put on their finest ornaments, mounted their own vehicles and set out gladly for Śaṃbhu’s wedding.

Śiva the bridegroom was dressed in his own way. His matted locks were wound into a topknot. He wore a tiger skin, and ash was smeared over his body. A garland of skulls hung on his chest and he held a kapāla (a skull bowl) in his hand. Serpents hissed on his limbs, and a snake served as his sacred thread. So adorned, Śaṃbhu made a most striking bridegroom. In his hands were his triśūla (trident) and his ḍamaru (drum). He mounted his bull, his vṛshabha-vāhana, and set out.

His gaṇas came behind him in strange and many costumes, riding all kinds of beasts. There were bhūtas, pretas, piśācas, śākinīs, ḍākinīs and companies of yogīs, an army of unearthly beings following the master of the three worlds. The celestial guests who travelled beside Śiva’s retinue could not help smiling quietly at the odd sight.

Mainādevī’s grief

Himavān’s household shone with the beauty of its forests, rivers, lakes, fruit trees, flowering creepers, mountain passes and gems, a festival of everything auspicious. When the wedding party came near the city, Himavān welcomed them, led them in procession with due honours and settled them in comfortable lodgings.

But when the women of the house and the ladies of the neighbourhood first saw the bridegroom, Rudra in his Bhairava form with his terrifying retinue around him, a wave of alarm ran through them. They cried: “Ayyo! Is this chief of the asuras the bridegroom? Is this creature wearing snakes the one to whom Pārvatī is to be given? Are those who follow him wedding guests, or servants of Yama?” The old, the children and all the women of the neighbourhood, the whole community, were struck with worry as they tried to make sense of this strange match.

Mainādevī’s distress was beyond words. She wept and cried out: “Hari, Hari! Is this madman the bridegroom? Is this the one for whom my precious daughter did her tapas? How can I give my child into the hands of this shameless wandering ascetic? What harm did we ever do to Nārada that he should ruin our family like this? It would be better to throw my golden child into a well than to bind her to this beggar!” So Mainādevī wailed and wept.

Nārada comforts Mainādevī

Himavān came to the grieving Mainādevī with the Saptarshis and Nārada. Nārada told Mainādevī the whole earlier history of Pārvatī. This daughter is none other than Jagajjananī herself. She is the very Satī who was once Śiva’s wife, who gave up her body at Daksha’s yajña and who was born again in Mainādevī’s womb. Nārada also told her of the ancient bond between Śiva and Pārvatī, a bond that has lasted through countless yugas. When Mainādevī understood that Jagajjananī herself had been born as her child, she was overcome with joy and pride.

The wedding ceremony

As the auspicious lagna drew near, Himavān led the wedding party with music and ceremony to the wedding pavilion. Beside the homa-kuṇḍa (the fire pit), the mutatyiduvulu (married women of good fortune) sang auspicious songs and waved ārati. Śiva bowed before the gathered brāhmaṇas and took his seat on the golden throne that Brahmā had made for the occasion. The Saptarshis gave the signal. Pārvatī, shining like a treasury of beauty, came as the bride with her companions to the maṇṭapa (pavilion). She bowed at Śiva’s feet in full prostration.

All the wedding rites were done in their right order. Himavān gave his daughter in kanyādāna, placing Pārvatī’s hand in Śiva’s hand. Vedic mantras were chanted. Shouts of “Jaya! Jaya!” rang out until the directions shook. An unseen shower of flowers and akshatas (blessed rice grains) fell from the sky, and all three worlds watched in awe. Then the auspicious Śaṅkara tied the maṅgalasūtra (the sacred wedding thread) round Pārvatī’s neck. So the wedding of Śiva and Pārvatī was completed in a most blessed and auspicious way.

Himavān and Mainādevī bowed before their son-in-law and honoured him with endless wealth and gifts. All who were present blessed the bride and groom with akshatas. After the wedding, several days went by in happy celebration. Then Śiva and Pārvatī set out for their own home. Himavān and Mainādevī said farewell with all due ceremony. Śiva, with Pārvatī beside him, blessed by his parents-in-law with their āśīrvāda, and with his gaṇas following, reached Kailāsa. The celestial beings paid their respects to Bhavānī and Bhava and went back to their own realms.

Kārttikeya’s birth

Many ages of happy married life passed for the first couple, Umā and Maheśvara. In time their son with six faces, Kārttikeya, was born. Kārttikeya killed the asura Tārakāsura, who had driven the devas from their realm, and so fulfilled the long wish of the devas.

Sources

• Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Pārvatī Pariṇaya