36 General marriage songs II [Paramaribo, 1965]
Śiva's marriage2
I.
calalaį mahādeva gäurā biyāhana
II.
suravana chatra dhara ā̈in re
[p. 86]
III.
bichiyana kuchiyana ke mäurā dharāvahį
IV.
sąpavā ke ḍāre haį janëuvā re
V.
parachana nikale haį sāsu mainā̈in
VI.
sąpavā cale haį phuphukāra re
VII.
supavā bīge haį sāsū belavā ke taravarā
VIII.
pachavą̄ se gäile bhaharā̈i re
IX.
äisana bara se maį gäurā na biyahavā
X.
bhalu rahihaį kųvāra re
XI.
tani eka bhesavā badalatyau mahādev
XII.
näihara ke lokapati ā̈in re
XIII.
machiyā bhelasa dhari ke äile mahādeva
XIV.
kanhavā ke lagale chipa ā̈in re
XV.
gäurā läi ke uṛabe maį
XVI.
gäurā läi ke bilasavā
XVII.
gäurā läi ke uṛabe patāl re
I.
Mahādeva proceeded to marry Pārvatī.
II.
The gods came holding parasols,1
III.
(Śiva, however) put on a crown of scorpions and such things,2
IV.
(And) wore a sacred thread (consisting) of snakes.
V.
The mother-in-law, Menā, came out to perform the adoration;3
VI.
The snakes began to move with hisses.
VII.
The mother-in-law threw the sūp under the good tree of bilva.4
VIII.
(And) stumbled (backwards) after that.
IX.
- I shall not wed Pārvatī to such a bridegroom -
X.
Rather that she should stay a virgin.
XI.
- Would that, oh Śiva, you would change your dress a little;
XII.
The world-rulers5 (belonging to my) parental home have come (to attend the wedding; what would they say?).
[p. 87]
Kanyā-dāna
At the stage of kanyā-dāna, there are several little ceremonial steps for which the songs are sung:
1. Preparatory to the ceremony.
2. Giving the bride's hand to the bridegroom.
3. Pouring water over the löī, the ball of flour dough containing some gifts.
4. As an epilogue to the kanyā-dāna.
Here a song combining (2) and (3) is recorded.
2Cp. Grierson (J.R.A.S. 1884: 234); Archer and Prasād ('43: 5 ff.); D. Siṁha ('44: 44-45 intr., and longest song on this theme: 280-288, 302 etc.); K. Upadhyāya ('54: 241, 244, 246; '60: 304); T.L. Śāstrī ('62: 152). This song confused and mixed with one on Rāma, U. Tivārī ('54: 170 intr.).
1Symbols of royal power and authority. ‘Holding parasols (over their heads)’.
2A twin-word, bichiyana-kuchiyana.
3The parchan.
4A tree traditionally associated with Śiva; its leaves form an important offering to Śiva in the ritual of his worship.
5Loka-pati, the guardian-gods of various realms including the four quarters.
1Or elope. The story of Śiva hiding under Pārvatī's añcala in various forms is an important motif throughout the literature.
2The connection of Śiva with pātāla, the underworld, is not unknown elsewhere, for example, Vīramitrodaya, Pūjā-prakāśa (: 312): ‘One who bathes Durgā, with faith, in cold water, attaining the heavenly realm, plays with the nāgas’. It is known that the realm of the nāgas, the snakefolk, is pātāla, here identified with heaven and Durgā, of course, is an aspect of Pārvatī. In the song, on the other hand, it is possible that Śiva means to say that since he has been insulted because of his snakes, he will kidnap Pārvatī and take her to the world of the snakes, pātāla, itself. The version of Archer and Prasād ('43: 5), however, simplifies the problem: jani ammā uṛahū jani ammā buṛahū; jani ammā khilahū pātāla re. Pārvatī says to her mother; ‘whether, mother, you fly, or, mother, you drown or, mother, you flee away’, to marry Śiva is my inevitable fate. According to K. Upādhyāya ('60: 8) pātāl khilnā is a Bhojpurī idiom meaning ‘to go far away’. It is probable that our Surinam version of the song has been derived from some such previous form.
