It is the marriage season and kids must be wondering about marriage. As a kid, we often think it is all about a big feast with all yummy things to eat and dance away. While these ideas about marriage for a kid are about enjoyment, as parents it can get difficult to explain the concept of marriage to very young kids.
Our Indian mythology has a solution!
The most loved story is that of marriage of Shiva and Parvati –
It is a story of divine love. The reincarnation of goddess Gauridevi as Parvati and her strong desire to marry Lord Shiva is an example of eternal love. The ruler of Himalaya, Himavatha, and his wife Menaka were ardent followers of Lord Shiva and wished for a daughter who could marry the deity. For this, Menaka performs a three-day long penance to appease goddess Gauridevi, the first wife of Lord Shiva. The goddess promises Menaka to take birth as their daughter. She jumps into the fire to be reincarnated as Parvati. This leaves Shiva heart-broken and he goes into a long penance to mourn the loss of his beloved wife.
One day, sage Narada visits the kingdom of Haimavatha to see the baby and predicts that she will marry Lord Shiva. As Parvati grows, she spends day and night praying for Shiva.
Appeased by Parvati’s devotion, Shiva decides to test her by disguising himself as a Brahmin. He tells her not to marry a person who is poor and devoid of a materialistic life. However, Parvati says firmly, “I would marry none other than Shiva.”
The pleasing answer makes Shiva come back to his original form and acknowledge the marriage proposal. Thus he gets back his wife in the form of Parvati.
There is another lesser known story of Shiva and a fisherwoman –
Lord Shiva starts explaining the Vedas to his wife Parvati, and that goes on for several years. But one day, Parvati loses her concentration. The annoyed Shiva curses her to go to the earth and take birth as a fisherwoman.
Parvati takes birth as a baby girl and the chief of the fishermen community, Parvaras, takes her to his home. He names her Parvati and brings her up.
Meanwhile, Shiva realises his mistake and starts missing his wife. Seeing this, his disciple Nandi suggests Shiva call Parvati back. Shiva replies that he can’t do it because as per her birth, she is destined to marry an angler.
Hearing this, Nandi comes up with a plan to reunite Shiva and Parvati. He takes the form of a big shark and goes into the sea where the fishermen go fishing. He starts troubling the fishermen. Knowing about it, Parvaras announces that whoever catches the whale would get to marry his daughter.
The chief and his daughter Parvati pray to Lord Shiva to help them. Listening to Parvati’s prayers, Lord Shiva turns into a young fisherman and comes to the fishermen’s rescue. Nandi happily lets his master catch him. This way, in the story, Shiva remarries Parvati.
Brahma and Gayatri Story –
Shiva is the story’s narrator, while Gowri, his wife, is the listener. He is amused to tell Gowri the story of Lord Brahma marriage. Before he started the narration, he told Gowri that the battle fought between both of Brahma’s wives ended up in them making up, but Brahma lost.
This mythological story is taken from the Skanda Purana and focuses on how everyone is bound by specific rules. When the rules are broken, they will likely bear the same consequences.
The tale unfolds when Brahma, accompanied by his wife, Goddess of Wisdom, Saraswati, other Gods, and holy sages, prepares to sacrifice. However, Saraswati failed to attend the ceremony in time owing to some household chores.
Brahma sent a priest to convey to Saraswati that the time decided for the sacrifice was running out. The Goddess told the priest that she is yet to attend to several affairs before participating in the rites. Moreover, Gowri, Lakshmi, Gangadevi, Indrani, and wives of other Gods and sages were yet to arrive. Unless they arrived, she would not join the sacrifice.
The priest conveyed the same to Brahma. The Vedas said no man could perform any religious rites without being accompanied by his wife. On an impulse excited by rage, Brahma had Indra fetch him any woman he could marry for the sacrifice. Indra found a maiden he brought to Brahma, other Gods, and sages. They named her Gayatri and got her married to Brahma.
Upon the sacrificial rites being completed, Saraswati came to the assembly to find Brahma wedded to someone else. Enraged by the disrespect, she cursed Brahma that no one would ever worship him on Earth except once a year. She cursed Indra to be confined in chains in a strange land. To Vishnu, she said, he would wander among men and cattle for a long long time after being born as one of those men. The sages were not spared either. She cursed the sages that they would always perform sacrifices in exchange for gifts.
After she left, Gayatri used her wisdom to modify the curses and promised many benefits to the Brahma worshippers. Later Vishnu and Lakshmi went after Saraswati to request her return. Saraswati gave in and returned to the assembly. Gayatri fell to her feet. That moved Saraswati, and she raised her and agreed to live with Brahma and Gayatri.
Gayatri agreed to the setup and requested Saraswati to be kind and protect her. The reconciliation thus ended successfully. However, Brahma still was not worshipped in temples because of Saraswati’s curse.
Kartikeya and Valli –
King Nambirajan prayed to Shiva for a daughter. One day, while he was in the forest, he found a baby girl. He brought her up as his daughter and called her Valli. When she grew up, Kartikeya disguised himself as a bangle seller and went to her palace. He started talking to Valli. Valli’s brothers who were very brave and strong saw this. They did not like their sister talking to a man. When Kartikeya saw Valli’s angry brothers, he escaped by becoming a tree stump. Kartikeya went to Valli again, this time disguised as a tribal king, but when he saw her brothers he became a saint and escaped. Kartikeya desperately wanted to ask for Valli’s hand in marriage. He asked his brother Ganesha to help him. One day when Valli was outdoors, Ganesha disguised himself as a wild elephant and attacked her. Kartikeya saved her life and then asked her to marry him. Valli gladly consented and then got married .
Each of these stories have something to tell us. They excite our imagination. They teach us moral values. They make us think about relationships and realities and for kids, added to all this, that marriage like any relationship is team work towards ensuring a family is cared, protected and sustained.
