"Perhaps you should know, O Dakshayani, Beloved daughter of Daksha, I have refused every social conduct that has been established by your Venerable Father, thus YOU." ... "Then I shall follow you and yours path."
It's a barren mountain region covered with snow. Cold Northern Wind doesn't show any mercy on her. She is a Princess who has all delicate yet beautiful structure feels slowly worn out. There is no the tiniest sign of life. Everything here is still, frozen as if the time has stopped many time ago. The cold finally takes its toll and starts piercing her skin to freeze her bone. Her beautiful raw-golden complexion becomes pale as her muscles are trembling and soon she has to sit down on the cold, sharp and hard side of the mountain. Her eyes are still flowing but a strange kind of determination seems to be formed into that very beautiful and expressive eyes.
"Why you have been here? What is the beloved daughter of Prajapati Daksha doing here?" he asked stoically. She dressed in her fine Princely fineries along with every kind of jewels and ornaments of gold. His question made her blush as her cheeks became pink. She flashed her breathe taking smile towards her love, her Lord, her companion, her soul mate...Her Shiva!! She shied a little bit as she casted her eyes downward. But an awkward silent had made the entire surrounding heavy. So she finally managed to contact her eyes with him and slowly answered, "To meet my husband."
"Perhaps you are mistaking Princess. I am a wanderer, an ascetic, a hermit. I have renounced every worldly affairs and bond. I am a celibate who is barred by yours very society. How could you be my wife?" he replied.
She looked at him sternly. All of her joy, elation and ecstasy drained away from her beautiful face. She hadn't thought about this question. Before her was her Lord Shiva, God of gods in his eternal attire, cladded in tiger skin, decorated by serpents and rudrakshas, long hair matted into a bun in the middle of his head, smeared in ashes which was hiding his platinum white aura and complexion. In right hand he was holding the trident, which is symbol of creation, preservation and destruction along with his favourite instrument the Dumbroo-rattledrum which is symbol of rhythm and harmony. "It is so different from his previous attire in which I have met him first. But this suits him perfectly," she told it to herself.
"DO REPLY," his slightly angry voice made her conscious about the present situation. She swallowed hard her thoughts and responded, "Being an ascetic, a hermit doesn't indicate that you can't have your wife. All the Sapta Rishis have their respective wives who cared and nursed them in their good and bad time with full of affection and devotion. Aren't the Sapta Rishis hermits? And ..."
"They are bound by the worldly affairs and attachments. I am not like them. For me Vairagya (Asceticism) is ultimate path of salvation. Everything in your sansar, your world, your creation, your srushti will be destroyed, turned into ash one day. And that is the ultimate truth. Everything will become ash. Nothing will last forever. Nothing." Shiva said to cut off her in middle of her sentence. "This uncertain world can only cause grief and restless pain in one's life. So, one must try to gain as much happiness as one could. For example, you are a Princess. To be precise you are the youngest and dearest daughter of Prajapati Daksha, the executor and rule giver of this entire creation and founder of the culture. You are destined to have all the luxuries and availabilities of the palace. You have a very secured, pampered and attentive childhood and girlhood, Princess. Now as you have reached yours youth you must marry a young, handsome prince or nobleman or a King, who will be as talented, wise, wealthy and mighty as you and yours father. According to the social conduct of your society, founded by your father, that is exactly appropriate for you as well your duty to abide by." He finished indifferently. But in his mind he had been fighting with desire to hold her in his embrace, to kiss away her tears from her beautiful face. He once again blamed himself to make her cry. Desire!? Blame!? What he was thinking. He is GOD. Nothing can affect him. Emotions are for mere human. But doesn't GOD invoke within human? Doesn't he bestowed this special race of animal with rare kind of quality, to love somebody selflessly, to have affection for everyone and everything, to empathize with someone's pain, to be compassionate and caring, which differentiate them from others. And this was his soul, his other half only who has the ability to complete him whole. How could he see her in distress? But it was for her, own good. She couldn't be with him.
"You know Mahadev, when first time I met you, years back in that forest", her quivered voice brought him into the reality. He looked at him with mirthful eyes as she continued, "I honestly didn't know who really were you? Your unfamiliar attire made me uncomfortable and conscious about my social status. There you had saved me several times from several dangers. But your rudeness drove me crazy and made me believe that you will remain like uncouth barbarian. But later when I thought about your words I understood my mistakes. I wondered who were you ? The unfinished idol of yours and painting of mine with different but identical structures made me restless and awake many nights. Then you came on my one call. That day I came across the greatest of sages and wises and gods, the GOD of gods, Mahadev Shiva. That day I knew in my heart, my soul may be I have a different body with different mind, we are one. And that and been proven every time since then. Whether I had invited you to dance with me or had danced on your tune. Whether I sang yours song in my voice or you reprimanded me while I was ready to burn myself in the confinement of my father's prison. And Rishi Dadhchi and Devarshi Narada finally made me clear after telling about you ."
"You don't know me, Dakshayani..." Mahadev interjected her but got quiet as she cut him off, "Or you can say other than me, none have known about you. You and I were one in every prospect, the undefinable yet definable in a darkness where everything visible. Then the whole creation emerged so the visible form ours. Then Lord Brahma asked for me, Shakti the Energy, as without my power the process of life will be ceased. Without any hesitation you let me go for the betterment of the universe. But when the work has been done you refused to have me with you. You were Rudra, the roaring one, always burning rage. Around you everything was fiery, dreaded and ash. But only I knew that you were not angry. You were in so much pain and grief that your restlessness and emptiness caused you. Then you renounced everything to find some solace and peace. So you started meditation in isolated and untraceable places. Soon you absorbed in yourself and found me within you. Yours all pain eased away and you became Shiva, the pure one but silent one. Your burning rage became cold icy indifference and solitude. Everything around you became still and ceased, which is not acceptable. You must participate in the worldly affairs. You are the primal teacher, source of all kind of knowledge, intellect, skill, arts and everything. You are not the destroyer but also the restorer who pours hope and new light in the wretched one. You are the God of salvation and dead. From you only one could get one's all answer clearly, truthfully. You are epitome of Truth, Purity and Beauty. You are the Purush. How could you abandon while you know you don't do that?"
"Oh you must have learned so many scriptures and books nowadays, Princesss may be the Vedas too. But you should know what that my teachings and believes are banned by yours Venerable Father. And Perhaps you should know, O Dakshayani, Beloved daughter of Daksha, I have refused every social conduct that has been established by your Venerable Father, thus YOU." He said sternly but decisively, "You should go back to your father's palace to marry whoever he chooses for you. You should have abandoned your resolution of doing the tough austerities, and Tapasya."
"How could a God order his devotee to not worship him? How could a husband instruct a wife to not be with him?" she asked rather angrily.
"You are not my wife. I am an ascetic. I don't need any and the social norm of yours..." he again stopped as she spoke, "I am glad that you are finally thinking to marry me with full social conduct." She finally smiled a little, "When I first met you I have gloated that I have known so many arts, I am well versed. But I was an ignorant girl back then. Now I am completely aware who you are, my Lord. And also fully aware who am I ? I am Adi Shakti who incarnates herself to get you back with her. Though I have not attained my all power and energy but I believe next time when we shall meet I will be with my true self."
"Sati," amused Mahadev uttered, "And I must inform you my Lord, the society which banned you and yours path has also instructed a wife to love and respect her husband in every situation. It ordered a wife to follow and nurse her husband with utmost care, reverence and affection."
"Sati," Mahadev tried to interject but "As Dakshayani I have great responsibility to follow this order by each order."
"SATII" Mahadev finally lost his control and yelled at her. "You said yourself Mahadev. My name is Sati, a woman who loves and respects her husband unconditionally. And I shall exemplify this to all. If it means I shall abandon my father's comfort and follow you in yours ascetic life, Then I shall follow you and yours path" she said determinedly. By then Mahadev realized that trying to dissuade her was futile. So he disappeared from her.
A smile forms in her lips as she looks down at her discarded clothes, ornaments and jewels. She is in a single rough non dye saree and bark. She is tapasvin now. She slowly disappears from the slope of mountain to the remotest place, where she can start her new journey, to be with her Lord, Her Shiva.
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