Sex, Marriage and Family in World Religions (55 page)

“Listen, Kas´yapa, Atri and Vasis.t.ha, son of Varun.a; Vis´va¯mitra, Ga¯dhi’s son, and Gautama, mark my words; listen, Bharadva¯ja, and you, Angiras, hear what I say! My beloved Satı¯, Daksa’s daughter, who (so they say) out of anger with Daks.a gave up her life long ago through the insight of Yoga, has now been reborn as U

¯ ma¯, daughter of the king of the mountains. Go, excellent brahmins, and ask the mountain for her hand on my behalf!” When they were asked to do this, the seven peers replied, “by all means!” And saying, “OM! Praise be to Sán˙kara!” they went to the Himalaya.

Sárva spoke also to Arundhatı¯, saying, “You go too, lovely woman, for married women know the way of women’s duty.” When she had been reminded of this inviolable worldly custom, she said, “Praise be to you, O Rudra!” and departed with her husband.

When they reached the plain of herbs on the highest peak of Mt. Hima[laya], they saw the city of the mountain king that looked like the city of the gods.

There after being ardently and respectfully worshiped by the mountain women and by Suna¯bha and the other mountains, by Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Yaks.as [heavenly beings] and others in attendance, they approached the delightful palace of Mt. Hima, which was ablaze with gold. All those great-souled seers, their taints purified by
tapas,
gathered in front of the great gate and stood there waiting for the gate-keeper.

Mt. Gandhama¯dana, the door-keeper, came at once holding in his hand a great staff studded with rubies. The assembled seers said to him, “We are here to see the great lord of the mountains. We have come with a weighty purpose.

Announce our arrival!” Thus addressed by the sages; the chief mountain Gandhama¯dana went to where the mountain king was sitting surrounded by
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his fellow mountains. The door-keeper fell to his knees on the ground, tucked his staff under his arm and put his hands up to his forehead. Then he said, “O

mountain king; some sages have come to you with a purpose. They are standing at the gate eager to see you on business.”

When he heard the door-keeper’s words, the lord of the mountain arose and went to the gate himself, carrying the finest
arghya
. After leading them to the assembly hall with
arcya
[guest gift] and
arghya
and other offerings, and they had taken their seats, the mountain spoke to them eloquently. “What is this rain that has fallen from a cloudless sky? This fruit that has ripened without a flower? This visit of yours is so unexpected as to be unbelievable! Today I am rich! Today I am truly the king of the mountains, excellent ones! My body is cleansed now that you have come to court! O best of brahmins, I am made pure by contact with all of you, just as one is purified by the sight of the Sarasvatı¯

when one goes there on foot. I am your servant, O brahmins, who gains merit by your very presence! Tell me why you have come! I stand before you as your servant, O immortals, along with my wife, grandsons and attendants. Tell me what I can do for you!”

When they heard the words of the mountain king, the vow-keeping-sages said to Angiras, the elder, “Tell the mountain why we are here.” Thus directed, by Kas´yapa and the other seers, Angiras addressed the king of the mountain with this fine speech: “Hear, excellent, mountain, the purpose which has brought us to your place; along with Arundhatı¯ O mountain. We have been sent by the great-souled Sán˙kara, the universal soul, the destroyer of Daksa’s sacrifice, Sárva the trident-bearer, the three-eyed god who rides the bull, Jı¯mu¯taketu, enemy-slayer, enjoyer of sacrifices, the lord called Síva Stha¯n.u, Bhava, Hara, the terrible and violent great lord Maha¯deva; the master of animals. By him have we been sent into your presence; O lord of the mountain.

“The lord of the gods wants to marry your daughter Ka¯la¯ [Pa¯rvatı¯], the love-liest woman in all the world. Please give her to him! It is a fortunate father indeed whose daughter wins a handsome husband fully endowed with beauty and good family, excellent mountain. This goddess will be the mother of the four kinds of moving and unmoving beings, O mountain, since Hara is called their father. Let the gods who bow down to Sán˙kara also worship your daughter!

And so put your ash-covered foot on the head of your enemy!

“We are the suitors, Sárva the groom; your daughter U

¯ ma¯ [Pa¯rvatı¯], mother

of the whole world, is the bride. Do this for your own benefit!”

When she heard Angiras’s words, Ka¯la¯ hung her head, alternating between hope and despair. And the lord of the mountains said to Gandhama¯dana, “Go and summon all the mountains, then return.” That swift mountain then went rapidly from house to house inviting Meru and the other excellent mountains on all sides. They came in a hurry, realizing this was a task of great importance.

These major mountains and other lesser hills prostrated themselves before the seers and took their seats in the assembly hall.

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p a u l b . c o u r t r i g h t

Then the lord of the mountains summoned his wife Mena¯, and that beautiful, auspicious woman came, along with her child. Saluting the feet of the sages with respect, that ascetic woman greeted all her kin and entered the hall with her daughter. Then when the mountains were seated, O Na¯rada, the eloquent mountain addressed them all mellifluously, “I must tell you that these seven virtuous seers have requested my little daughter for Mahes´vara. Speak to me out of your wisdom. You are my relatives and I shall not give her away against your wishes. Tell me what I should do.”

When they had heard the words of Himavat, Meru and the other mighty mountains spoke as follows as they sat there in their seats, “The seers are the suitors and Hara, slayer of Tripura, the groom. Give little Ka¯la¯ to him, O mountain, for we find him to be a suitable son-in-law!”

Mena¯, too, spoke to her husband, saying, “Hear my word, chief mountain.

It was for this very purpose that the gods worshiped the Fathers and gave her to us. The son she will bear to the lord of creatures will kill Mahis.a, the Daitya chief, and the demon Ta¯raka as well!”

Thus addressed by Mena¯, the mountain lord, accompanied by the mountains, said to his daughter, “O girl, I now give you to Sárva!” And he said to the sages, “My little daughter Ka¯la¯, O seers rich in
tapas
[asceticism], the bride of Sán˙kara, bows in devotion to do you honor!” And Arundhatı¯ took Ka¯la¯ on her lap and encouraged her with words made auspicious by the frequent mention of Hara’s name.

The great lord Hara was delighted at this and honored the seers one by one, according to the rules, and Arundhatı¯ as well. Thus worshiped, they went around to invite the gods. Brahma¯, Vis.n.u and the Sun then came to see Hara.

When they arrived, great seer; they made obeisance to Mahes´vara. Then they entered his house, led by Nandin, where he received them all. Praising Hara in his presence, they sat down. Surrounded there by the hosts of gods, the lord of the mountain, with his unkept hair loose, shone forth like a mighty tree with sprouting shoots among the
arja
and
kadamba
trees in the forest.

When he saw that the gods had assembled, Nandin told his master, Síva, who arose to give Hari a warm and affectionate embrace. Sán˙kara graciously received all the gods, bowing his head to Brahma¯, greeting Indra of a hundred sacrifices and paying due attention to the host of gods. Crying, “Victory, O

god!” the
gan
.
as
led by Vı¯rabhadra; Síva’s followers, the Pa¯súpatas and others, ascended Mt. Mandara. And lord Sárva went to mighty Mt. Kaila¯sa with the gods to prepare for the marriage festival, where the blessed Aditi, mother of the gods, Surabhi, Surasa¯ and other women were already busy with the decorations.

Hara [Síva] was radiant, crowned with skulls, wearing a handsome saffron-colored
tilaka
[forehead mark], clothed in a lion-skin, decked out in earrings made of snakes that were black as bees, his bracelets bejeweled with cobras, adorned with necklaces; armlets and, anklets, his matted hair piled high, riding on a bull. Before him went his
gan
.
as
astride their own mounts, while the gods,
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led by Fire, came behind. Mounted on Garuda, Jana¯rdana went forth together with Laksmı¯, while the Grandfather rode alongside the god on his goose.

The thousand-eyed god Indra, together with Sácı¯, rode on his elephant, carrying an open parasol of white cloth. The lovely river Yamuna¯ sat on a tortoise, holding a beautiful white yak-tail fan in her hand. Mounted on an elephant, holding a fine chowrie fan white as a goose, jasmine or the moon was the beautiful river Sarasvatı¯. The six seasons, roaming the world at will, came too, bringing fragrant flowers of five colors for the great lord. Riding an elephant in rut that thundered, along like Aira¯vata, Prthı¯daka went there carrying unguents. Led by Tumbaru, Gandharvas followed after Maha¯deva singing sweet songs, while Kinnaras made music, Apsarases danced, and seers praised the three-eyed lord of the gods with a trident in his hand.

There passed in the procession eleven crores [crore ס 10,000,000] of Rudras, twelve crores of a¯dityas, sixty-seven crores of
gan
.
as
and forty crores of superior celibate seers. Countless numbers of hurrying hosts of Yaksas, Kinnaras and Ra¯ks.asas followed the great lord to the wedding festival.

The lord of the gods soon reached the foot of the lord of the mountains where other mountains riding elephants were converging on all sides. Then the blessed three-eyed lord bowed down to the mountain king who bowed in turn to the lord, gratifying him greatly. In this way did the bull-marked god, along with the gods and his retinue, enter the great city of the mountain king on the path shown by Nandin.

“Jı¯mu¯taketu, the cloud-crested god, has arrived!” cried the townswomen, abandoning their housework in their eagerness for a glimpse of the lord. One lovely woman approached Sán˙kara holding half a garland in one hand and her hair in the other. Another one, her eyes distraught, hurried to see Hara with one foot reddened by lac [resin], the other plain. Still another, having heard of the dread one’s arrival, ran in his direction carrying a pigment pencil, only one eye darkened with collyrium [lamp black]. Another lovely woman, longing eagerly for the sight of Hara, went out naked like a fool, holding her robe and belt in her hand. Another young thin-waisted girl, slowed by the burden of her bosom, heard that the lord had already passed by and angrily cursed her youth.

Causing confusion among the women of the town in this manner, Hara, mounted on a bull, went toward the heavenly palace of his father-in-law.

When they saw Sámbhu enter the house of the mountain king, the women said, “Ambika¯ must have practiced difficult
tapas
[asceticism] indeed to win this mighty god Sámbhu! It is he who rendered invisible the body of Kandarpa, whose weapon is flowers, who destroyed Daks.a’s sacrifice and the eye of Bhaga, who bears the trident and the bow Pina¯ka. Glory, glory be to Sán˙kara, trident in hand, robed in tiger-skin, Time’s destroyer! Praise, praise be to the beloved of Pa¯rvatı¯, adorned with earrings, wearing a cobra necklace!”

Thus honored, Sámbhu mounted the wedding altar which was covered with designs and enjoyed by Fire, under a parasol held by the king of the gods, 260

p a u l b . c o u r t r i g h t

praised by Siddhas and Yaks.as, wearing a bracelet made of a snake, his body smeared with fine ashes, preceded by Brahma¯, the first-born of creation, who went before him with a happy heart, and followed by Vis.nu in the rear.

During the arrival of the slayer of Tripura with his retinue, accompanied by the seven seers, the people in the house of the mountain king were occupied with the adornment of Ka¯lı¯, while the mountain divinities who had arrived busied themselves with their own offerings. Friends who await the wedding ceremony of a daughter are usually in a state of confusion!

When the women had finished preparing the mountain-born goddess, the pillar of her body was dressed in fine white cloth. Her brother Suna¯bha, who had arranged the celebration, brought her into Sán˙kara’s presence. While the gods who stood on the beautiful golden terrace witnessed the actions of Sán˙kara and Ka¯la¯, the god and the slender-waisted woman began the ceremony to the delight of the crowd. There were all kinds of entertainments amid flowering trees and fountains, while on the ground richly fragrant powders were heaped here and there. For the delight and amusement of the mountain daughter and Hara, others struck them freely with ropes of pearls while the two of them reddened the earth with copious clouds of vermilion.

After these sports, Hara and the little mountain maid went together to the massive southern altar that is revered by the sages, Then the holy Himavat approached dressed in white cloth, holding in his hand, the
pavitra
[stalk] of sacred grass and the
madhuparka
offering of milk and honey. The three-eyed god sat down facing the eastern region, which is presided over by Indra, while the king of the mountains was comfortably seated facing the north, the direction of the constellation of the seven seers.

The mountain, hands folded in greeting, spoke these fine words obedient to his Dharma, to Sárva who was seated on his fine seat, “Accept the offering of my daughter Ka¯la¯, blessed one, the granddaughter of Pulaha’s elder brother, the daughter’s daughter of the Fathers!” So speaking, the lord of the mountain joined their hands together and presented his daughter to Síva, saying aloud, “Take her, O lord!”

“I have no mother and no father, no kin and no relations by marriage. I dwell on the mountain peaks without a home. I accept your daughter, O king of the mountains!” So saying, the groom pressed the hand of the little mountain girl with his own. When she felt Sámbhu’s touch, she became ecstatically happy, divine sage. Then the groom mounted the altar with the daughter of the mountain where together they offered white parched grain and ate the offering of milk and honey.

After this, Virinca Brahma¯ said to the mountain-born girl, “Look at your husband’s face that shines like the moon, O Ka¯la¯! Look fixedly in the same direction and walk around the fire.” When she saw Hara’s face, a shudder went through Ambika¯ just as the ground heated by the sun’s rays shimmers in the rain. When the Grandfather repeated once again, “Look at your husband’s
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