Shiv, Parvati and marriage

[1]

Yogi Ashwini [1]

We all know the importance of “balance” in Creation. Everything in the universe is in its place because of balance. Similarly, all the forces of nature, higher or lower, have to be in balance all the time for the sustenance of Creation. The smaller forces are nothing but a microscopic representation of the higher forces of universe.

The Ardhanareshwar form of Lord Shiva represents the union of Mata Parvati and Lord Shiva, the union of purush and prakriti. Both are two different aspects of nature but come together to create a perfect harmonious balance. The Ardhanareshwar form represents the union of complementary forces in nature to create a complete whole. They are one, existing without duality. That is the concept of marriage in Vedic philosophy.
Marriage between a man and a woman symbolically represents the Ardhanareshwar, a union between two people. When two people come together in marriage, they become an inseparable part of each other for an entire life. There is no individual identity and, therefore, no scope for divorce. In the Vedic period there was no such thing as a divorce. Once a marriage was consummated, the man had to take full responsibility of the woman’s needs — financial and physical — for the rest of her life and the woman in return looked after the man and his entire family with complete devotion and respect. She was responsible for expanding his family and inculcating proper values in the children.
Woman is considered as a force or shakti in a man’s life. A woman is like fuel and man the vehicle, both come together to complete the journey of experiences they chose to go through in their lifetime. It is a certainty that a woman committed completely (in thoughts, words and deeds) to her man can take the man to any heights. There’s nothing impossible for him to achieve in the physical world.
As every phenomenon in nature serves a purpose, there is purpose behind two people coming together also. As the root of every action is desire, this desire decides the purpose they unite for and, accordingly, they go through the experiences they had asked for. The union of two forces always occurs for Creation. Based on their desire they connect together at different levels to create, experience and go beyond. These connections, based on desire and purpose, also decide the length of that relationship. The higher the purpose, longer the union. Connections are the bonds established between two people at the level at which their energies merge, that is to say connecting at the level of chakras. As we know there are certain characteristics pertaining to each chakra, and union happens at the level of these characteristics.
The lowest or the grossest level is that of the basic earthly desires, characteristics of mooladhar chakra. They merely satisfy the grosser needs of life such as sharing of material wealth, belongings etc. There’s no higher purpose of them coming together. A little above this is the connection based on sexual desires at the level of swadhishthan chakra, or the level of physical Creation. Above this is the connection established on the plane of power, be it social, political or economic. Like it used to be in earlier times, where two empires used to come together by way of marriage between the heirs. The purpose of this union was to expand the political or economic status that led to the expansion of kingdoms. Also, a merger of two kingdoms meant stronger defences against enemy aggression.

This is the first of a two-part series.
The second part will appear on January 26.

— Yogi Ashwini, an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences, is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation. His most recent book is Sanatan Kriya: 51 Miracles... And a Haunting. Contact him at dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com [2]