Weddings are a huge deal in our country. Celebrations can go on for days, if not weeks! Friends and relatives who have not met in years gather to spread joy. It’s not uncommon for people to travel from distant parts of the world to attend the wedding of a close family member or friend. So when weddings create so much festivity among ordinary mortals, what must it be like for the gods?
Shiva and Parvati were getting married! The grand event was to take place in the Himalayas. Anyone who was anyone was invited for the wedding — devas, maharishis, yakshas and several other celestial and magical beings. All the distinguished guests trooped northward to the Himalayas, carrying precious gifts with them. Among the guests was Sage Agastya, a maharishi who was highly regarded by everyone. He was really looking forward to the wedding and had a happy smile on his face as he walked towards the Himalayas briskly. But just as all the guests had arrived and the wedding was about to begin, the Himalayas began to tremble. The mighty snow-covered mountains were known for their incredible strength, so everyone was frightened to see the beautiful ranges shake. Huge blocks of snow fell and the guests screamed in confusion. What was going on?
Shiva knew the reason. So many guests had come for the wedding in the north that the balance of the earth had been tilted! If the balance was not righted, there would be disaster! Already, the effect of this could be seen — mountains in distant lands cracked, the seas were in high tide, and the people of the earth were terrified. They prayed to Shiva and asked him to help them.
Parvati stood by Shiva, her brow clouded, her eyes worried. She did not want their wedding to be remembered as a day of tragedy. She appealed to Shiva to do something. Shiva eyed his guests thoughtfully. He did not want to disappoint them by cancelling the celebration. But he could not stand without doing anything either. He was in quite a dilemma!
It was then that he saw Sage Agastya. Shiva knew at once that he was the answer. He made a request to Agastya — ‘O great Sage, I am sure that if you go back to the south, the earth will be in balance again!’ Sage Agastya was not powerfully built and neither was he physically heavy but everyone who heard Shiva’s words knew that he was right. The weight of Sage Agastya’s penance alone would be strong enough to achieve the task. Sage Agastya’s face fell. He did not want to miss the wedding! But how could he refuse Shiva whom he loved dearly?
Shiva saw the sage’s expression and knew what was going on in his mind. He smiled and said, “O Sage, I know you are disappointed but please do this for me. Not just for me but for the sake of the world! I know that you don’t want to miss our wedding and so I will grant you special vision to witness the event from your place in the south. And Parvati and I will appear before you in our wedding finery whenever you wish to see us!” Agastya was pleased. He walked back to the south as requested by Shiva and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. The earth was in balance again! And the vigorous beat of the drums announced the beginning of the greatest wedding in the universe!