Episode 10

The story of Manmatha and Shiva’s anger

(Symbolic Significance of Kama Dahanam)

Today we are celebrating Holi. It is the day on which Manmatha, the God of Love was consigned to ashes. What is the symbolic significance of the story? What is True Marriage? Is it an association of two lustful people or is it an association of two spiritual souls?  Please read and reflect.

This story is very briefly mentioned in Ramayana. I have taken the full story from Skanda Purana by Ved Vyasa for readers’ convenience. 

Rama and Lakshmana were following Viswamitra on the shore of the river Ganges. The pure, pristine and serene atmosphere near the confluence of the Ganges and Sarayu was appealing. Rama was moved by the scenic beauty and began enquiring the importance of that place (sthala mahatya) with Viswamitra. “Hey, Rama! This is the place of confluence of Sarayu in to the Ganges. This is the place where Lord Shiva did penance and this is the place where the god of Love, Manmatha was consigned to ashes”, said, Viswamitra. Rama was curious and he asked Viswamitra to narrate the story.

Once upon a time there lived a mighty demon by name Tarakasura. He was so valorous that he defeated all gods including their leader, Indra in a battle. He was obstructing all religious and spiritual ablutions and he was giving trouble to sages and Rishis in their daily duties. He did tapas for thousands of years and had a boon by Bramhaa that he could be killed only by a person born to Shiva and also not born out of any womb.

Strangely, when he got this boon, Shiva himself was doing tapas and just before that his wife was consigned to ashes in the great yagna conducted by Daksha Prajapati and again she was born to Himavan, the mount of Himalaya. Taraka was sure that it was difficult for Shiva’s marriage at any point of time. With boons on his side, Taraka became aggressive and started giving troubles to sages and pious people. He even waged wars against gods and defeated Indra, the king of devas.

When the earth was infected by violence and unrighteous conduct, devas (gods) got perturbed. Bramhaa suggested that devas should try to get Shiva’s marriage done with Parvati. But how is it possible? Shiva was doing penance and Parvati was in Himalayas under the care of her father. How Shiva can see Parvati? Somehow, they persuaded Himavan and Parvati and Parvati agreed to take fruits and flowers to the mendicant Shiva every day. Days and months and years went on. Shiva used to open the eyes, takes the fruits and flowers and again slips in to tapas. Even if he sees Parvati, he looks at her and there is no visible liking towards her.

Gods approached the god of love, Manmatha and requested him to raise the pangs of love in Shiva. Manmatha hesitated, feared a lot and ultimately agreed to do the cause of gods. Manmatha was possessing five flower arrows – aravindam, ashokam, chutam, nava mallika, and nilotpalam. The shooting of these arrows at any person kindle the fire of love. Manmatha’s best friend was Vasantha (the spring season). Manmatha with the help of Vasantha enters the forest of Himalayas where Shiva was doing penance. He was waiting for an opportunity to shoot the arrows at Shiva.

The moment eventually came when on one day Shiva opened his eyes to take the flowers and fruits being offered by Parvati. With all courage at his command, Manmatha aims an arrow and that struck Shiva. For a moment Shiva’s mind got perturbed on seeing an enchanting beautiful lady sitting near to him. Suddenly he could reconcile and in no time he realized that he was diverted from Tapas. He left the place and sat in some other place and continued his penance. But Manmatha followed him and tried to disturb the mind of Shiva. Shiva was infuriated and opened his third eye. Fire emanated out of the fury of Shiva and Manmatha was instantaneously consigned to ashes.

By this Parvati could understand that she cannot win the heart of Shiva by her beauty. She started doing penance. The penance was so powerful that the worlds began trembling. Shiva was pleased by her meditation and austerity and appeared before her in the form of young Bramhachari. He tells that he (Bramhachari) is more handsome than Shiva and started ridiculing Shiva. He ridiculed Shiva as nomad, wandering in the burial grounds with semi naked form. Parvati reveals the real nature of Shiva and sticks on her determination to marry Shiva only. Then Shiva was highly pleased by her talk and appears before her in his true form. The marriage of Shiva and Parvati was consummated in the presence of all devas and celestial bodies.

Symbolic significance of the story

The story portrays lot of significant thoughts for people to understand. The purpose of a Purana is to present Vedic dictums to common people in the way they understand them. All characters are merely symbols to express a grand narrative. The story has many purposes and the author (Ved Vyasa) is successful in his objective.

Who is Tarakasura? He is an Asura which, in Sanskrit, means that he derives delight in other person’s suffering. He represents demonic traits of suppressing the righteousness and creates disequilibrium in the world. He represents tamas and ajnana. He has to be punished. Shiva could have destroyed him directly but he has to respect the boons given by Bramhaa. If Shiva himself transgresses the word of Bramhaa, there is likelihood of others following suit in future. So he has to marry. The purpose of the author is to tell to the world as to how the marriage is to be performed.

Marriage is not a union of two lustful people but it has its own sacred aura. The two parties to marriage have to elevate themselves to spiritual level to undergo the process of marriage. Initially Parvati feels that she can win oven Shiva by her beauty. But shiva represents satva and pure consciousness. He is a great mendicant and one should match in tapas equally to become eligible for attaining him. Tapas, by its own nature, purifies the heart and negates the sensual looks and outlooks.

When Shiva, in the guise of Bramhachari ridicules Shiva as a naked nomadic entity, Parvati replies in a very dignified fashion. Shiva represents the entire world and beyond and hence he is naked. The Sanskrit word for naked is Digambara which again means the dik (direction) only is his cloth. The person who pervades the whole universe has the cloth of dik only upon him. He wears a trident weapon (tri sula) which signifies the energy satva, rajas and tamas (three gunas). He wanders in burial grounds since the burial grounds represent the wheel of birth and death (samsara chakra). When he opens his third eye, it represents jnana netra (eye of wisdom and enlightenment). It alone can destroy the ajnana (knowledge infected by lust, anger, ego and the like). Jnana or wisdom is represented by fire and his fire of wisdom could destroy the evil of Manmatha. Manmatha in Sanskrit means one who churns the mind of a person with all allurements and inducements. Mind can be controlled by the knowledge of futility of pursuing worldly objectives. The destruction of Manmatha signifies the destruction of kama (lust) by the jnana (knowledge).  The acceptance of Parvati by Shiva represents the significance of Parvati attaining the spiritual status by cleansing of antahkarana by penance. Shiva was described in the story as (tapo dravyena kreetah- तपो द्रव्येण क्रीत:) which means he was purchased or won over by Parvati by tapas.

If two persons out of lust come together for a union, it is not a marriage. Lust has no value or status in a spiritual union of souls. Only lust represents tamas guna and it is not ordained by dharma. Any kama (desire) associated with dharma is God only (Gita 10.28) and adharmic kama is just a lust only.

The purpose of sage Vyasa in this story is to highlight the glory of jnana, tapas, spirituality, austerity and sacredness. He puts spirituality on the high pedestal and coveys that lust is not the fulcrum on which the marriage rests.  The death of Taraka is a necessity to preserve righteousness and rhythm in the world. The destruction of Manmatha is to destroy the trait of lust and elevate a person to a higher plane.

Footnotes

Gita 10.28-

आयुधानामहं वज्रं धेनूनामस्मि कामधुक् |

प्रजनश्चास्मि कन्दर्प: सर्पाणामस्मि वासुकि: || 28||

āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ dhenūnām asmi kāmadhuk

prajanaśh chāsmi kandarpaḥ sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ

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