IX PROTECTOR

 

 

 Resurrecting Kamdev

 

 

 

 

The enlightened souls fell no urge to worldly attractions yet only to  serve and redeem mortals they do whatever assigned to them. So did lord Shiv accepted the role of a householder to serve the divine cause. All ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas were performed by the participants of his wedding with great joy and jubilation. When the ceremonies got over, the son-in-law Shiv was seated amidst the sixteen blessed and fortunate celestial women in the palace of king Himvant.  Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi,Savitri,Ganga,Aditi,Shachi,Lopamudra,Arundhati,Ahilya, Tulasi,Swaha,Rohini,Prithvi,Shatrupa,Sangya and Rati looked so delighted to be with the groom of goddess Parvati that they could not resist the urge to tease the great yogi who was going to be a husband.

 God Saraswati said,-“ Lord Mahadev1 you have got your soulmate Sati back. Look at her resplendent countenance! Her beauty defeats the lucense of even the moon. May your union remain immortal and blessed foreever1”

 God Lakshmi joined her and said,-“ O lord! Give up hesitation and lap up your Sati. Why should you feel shy in embracing the one without whom you roamed around like a corpse?” God Savitri said,-“ Shambhoo! Feed her now and you also have your meals please. Pray to almighty and offer her betel leaves and camphor..”

 God Ganga said,-“ Please take this golden comb and make up her hair. Nothing can please Sati better then your blessed intimacy….”

 

Rati was overwhelmed to see the destroyer of her husband now turning into a householder. She found an opportune moment and supplicated,-‘Lord! You are now blessed with goddess Parvati as all ceremonies are over. May I know as to why my innocent husband was turned into ashes while he intended not to offend you anyway?” she asked. Lord Shiv seemed not willing to respond. Rati lifted her expectant face and looked at him with great hope “Please resurrect my husband and allows him to dwell in your magnanimous heart. Both of us have been searing with callous suffering ever since you incinerated him. Everyone celebrated and rejoiced on the auspicious occasion of your wedding but for I who has been without her husband. O omniscient lord! Please bless me too and fulfil your promise you gave me in the past that in due course you would resurrect my husband. In all the three spheres none other than you alone can relieve me from this suffering. You are ever merciful to your true devotees. Only when I am accompanied by my soul mate can I rejoice the company of Goddess Parvati. Please resurrect him now.” Rati implored.

 Saying so she undo a knot of her raiment containing ashes of her husband and put it in front of lord Shiv. “O My great husband! What a misfortune we went through for no fault of ours. What a pity! You are in such plight!”” Seeing the ashes of Kamdev, she could not contain herself broke into heart rending tears. All the sixteen celestial ladies who are soul mates of Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, sage Kashyap, Indra, sage Agastya, sage Vasishtha, sage Gautam, Agni, Manu, and Surya also sympathised with goddess Rati and began to sob. Thus the groom Shiv found him amidst a flock of gracious wives of great personalities all shedding streams of tears as if professing their protest and chargingh at him with the allegation that your stubbornness and show of yogic strength has culminated into this ocean of suffering and tears sat to drown you to gloom this way.

Hearing her sobs and wailing all companions of groom ruished to them. Lord Vishnu, Brahma etc. stood there with great hope. Lord Shiv rose from his seat and bowed to them in reverence. “Please tell me what is due on my part..” He said with great humility. Lord Vishnu lost no time in assigning him the role,-“ O Rudra! Resurrect lord Kamdev now.” Having given his advice he left  for his abode.

 The groom was surrounded now only by the officious and expectant womenfolk who awaited him to resurrect lord Kamdev.

Now came up the entreaties of celestial soul mates in one voice,-“Lord Mahadev! You love all your devotees. You are ever generous and merciful. Please resurrect lord Kamdev and bless goddess Rati now. They have suffered a lot. We all pray to you, lord!”

 Such prayers and appreciation filled lord Shiv with compassion.

 

 

 The moment lord Shiv threw a soothing glance at the ashes offered by goddess Rati a youthful and brilliant Kamdev appeared before all spectators. He smiled and gracefully bowed before his redeemer and saviour.

 

Seeing him, all faces turned into blossoming lotuses and all the eyes sparkled with delight. Rati bowed in the feet of lord Shiv and lord Shiv blessed her with a smile. The couple folded hands and praised lord Shiv in myriad of ways and lord Shiv graced them by looking at them with affection and love.

“Kamdev! You have praised me in such a way that I wish to bestow a boon on you both. Seek something!” said lord Shiv.

Kamdev said,-“O the greatest of Gods! You are indeed the most gracious and most generous. Please remain ever pleased with me and pardon me for having fiddled with you in the past. Please bless us that we remain your chaste devotees that is all we seek.”

 Lord Shiv began to laugh and said,-“ Fine! You both are blessed forever. Now you go and stay in Vaikunthalok and keep away from my abode.”

 The celestial wives brought goddess Parvati to lord Shiv. The couple offered sweets and betel leaves to each other and all celebrated their wedding while Kamdev obeyed the groom and quietly moved to the abode of lord Vishnu. What a great and matchless groom is this! While all groom long for his grace, this austere groom had commanded him to keep away from his residence, for this unique groom rejoices only in spiritual bliss and remains a bodiless stream of divine love. What an unparalleled groom!

The joyous folk of celestial wives went ahead with their  rejoicing tirade.  Mother Aditi arrived and took charge of the happenings,-“ Indrani! Offer water to the groom.let him get fresh. Give them water please..’ she commanded.

God Shachi the wife of lord Indra said,-“Lord! The one with whose ashes smeared all over your body you roamed around like an insane is back to be with you.. what a great occasion is this!”

Arundhati the wife of sage Vasishtha said,-“ Devi maina was no way willing to give you her this pretty daughter. It was I who persuaded her in various ways. Accept this gift and  rejoice now..”

 Ahilya the wife of sage Gautam said,-“ Lord! you have shed the personality of a senile mendicant and turned now so handsome and youthful that is why only that devi Maina agreed to give away her daughter to you..”

 Tulasi jumped in,-“ Lord! You deserted sati and burnt down your Kamdev.Then why did you send sage Vasishtha now to persuade your in laws? Swaha the wife of lord Agni said,-“Mahadev! Be attentive to what you are being advised and counselled by us at this moment. It is a tradition that at such occasion women enjoying pulling legs of the groom..”

 Rohini the favourite wife of lord Chandr said,-“ O expert in conjugal sport! Bless goddess Parvati and fulfil her wishes now. Swim across the ocean of conjugal sport, O desirous and worth groom!’

Vasundhara said,-“ Shambhoo! A hungry person can’t be satiated with the description of dishes and recipes. A wise husband does everything to plese his wife..”

 Sangya said,-“ O Omniscient Shambhoo! You verywell understand the feelings of young women. Sati is equally adept in pleasing her husband..”

Shatrupa said,-“Lead them now to their bedroom! Light up the lamps and arrange their floral bed and betel leaves.” Lord Shiv who had been calmly hearihng the offering of women ultimately broke the ice and said,-“ O gracious ladies! Such type of remarks do not behove your height and status. You all are great and mothers of all. Why should you show such fickleness towards  a son such as I!”

 His single comment left them feeling belitteled by the yogi groom.

 He then entered the palace created by lord Vishvakarma with his consort. The prosperity and fragrance of the matchless palace however failed to touch the austerity of the groom Shiv who finds bliss only in his meditation and austerity.