Sakthi Foundation
Mission of a married life – Meenakshi Kalyanam
Man and woman are brought together in the pattern of married life for producing a good generation through awareness pregnancy and parenting.
The next level is to maintain the ethical values of personal and human emotions, social laws, social skills and values to have a safe and harmony in life.
The ultimate mission of married life is to make the couple to perform the actions which are very important to maintain the social setup - peace - needs inside and outside of the home.
Ancient Tamil society separated the life as ''agam'' and ''puram''.
The term agam means mind - home and inside. It refers to the personal life of a man or woman within a house or family.
Puram is outside and it is society.
Duties performed for the family is not dharma and it is called ''kadamai'' - it is the rule that you have to do.
But the selfless actions and service for the society out of the home and relations - friends is called the highest ''samuka seva''
Modern man has to balance both. In olden days most of the people gave importance to both and sacrifices were done for the development of society. The aim of work and earning money is to fulfill the needs of home and serve.
But in past 10 years we see that man is becoming more nuclear and much concerned only about himself not even about family.
Couples are now ready for physical separation to earn money and marriages are totally decided upon intellectual bookish - job oriented and materialistic needs.
Parents, education and media are also focusing only more upon that. Mission of life has changed. So it is very obvious after a time the married life is getting meaningless.
Skandha Puranam conveys the essence of married life and mission of married life through Parvathy's aim in getting married to Shiva.
Tough times for ever....
Kanchipuram is celebrated as ''prithuvi'' or ''earth'' which depicts human body concept. Devi Kamakshi penances and married Shiva here. When the river flooded and tried to smash the sand Linga she prepared to give up her life and save the linga. This is the symbolism for couples to understand the tough times in married life which is always there and we must be strong enough to face that and breaking the married life or terminating the life is not the end.
Skandha puranam says that Kamakshi performs 36 types of dharmas to world with the guidance and assistance of Shiva which is the mission for any married couple.
1. Arranging irrigation facility to the locality.
2. Feeding poors and orphans.
3. Education to children
4. Taking care of physically and mentally challenged people
5. Performing the Vedic rituals with awareness for betterment of world.
Few above are the dharmas mentioned and it says that Devi balances the needs of her home - world only with whatever materials Shiva gives, not more than that.
All the desires of life has to be fulfilled in physical, emotional and intellectual levels and married life is a way for that and Kanchipuram is celebrated as ''illara sthalam' - ill - aram [home where dharmas are performed]
Hence Shankarar established the Kama Koti Peetm here. All the kaama - wishes will be fulfilled.
For this family setup a man and woman enters into a married life with proper social recognition. They are given recognition for having sex and progeny through society by sacred wedding.
The importance of such social recognition is being symbolized as ''Kalyanaotsavam'' in all temples. In Thirumala and Madurai ever day wedding is being performed for deities. Hence the deities are also named as ''Kalyana Srinivasan'' and Meenakshi is known as ''Nithya Kalyani''
Today - 30.4.2015 is Madurai Meenakshi Kalyanam.
It is the most auspicious festival for Madurai.
Meenakshi - Tha daa tha kai [real name] was the only daughter of Malayathvaja Pandiya and she was brought up with all qualities to rue a nation. Megasthanis refer her as the most celebrated ruler by her citizens. She divided her nation into 365 provinces and every day one province will pay the tax. She had an army with 5000 elephants, 20,000 horses and 2000 chariots. She was blessed for her kindness and care taking nature. She was celebrated as the divine birth of Sakthi.
When she had her expedition to many nations she was admired and attracted to a northern king Soma Sundara in Himalayan region. He was a wise man who has highest spiritual wisdom and lived in self-realized state - SHIVAM
She understood him and expressed her mission which is the same through married life. He too accepted her. Wedding was celebrated in Madurai and he became the king of Madurai and ruled with his beloved wife. Both of them cared their people and nature and celebrated as divine couple. Like Ram, Krishna, Tha daa thai kai and her husband were considered as manifestations of Shiva and Parvathy.
The king Soma Sundara transformed as sidda and able to solve peoples issues which has been documented as Thiruvilayadal - leelas.
They gave birth to Ugra Kumara Pandiya and merged with the Linga in Madurai.
Soma sundara carved the emerald idol of female energy with the depiction of his wife. Today the emerald idol of Meenakshi with diamonds studded is the symbol of a real respect by a man to his wife.
Meenakshi kalyanam is being performed with proper Vedic rituals and explanations. King Thiru malai Nayak in 16th century has refined various things in this celebration. The mangal sootra stud with vai door yam gem is being tied to Meenakshi today.
Meenakshi is given to Shiva by her brother Vishnu. This symbolizes the transforming nature of intelligence to awareness and merging with truth. [Vishnu - intelligence, Meenaskhi - awareness and Shiva - supreme consciousness] This wedding idol is a famous carving in Meenakshi temple [kambathu adi mantabam opposite to Shiva's shrine] this idol is being used in wedding invitations in Tamil Nadu.
By evening the divine couple will be seated in Thiru malai Nayak king's special mantabam for reception and 1000s of people visit the reception.
The mission of a married life is to serve the family and society. This is the basic aim of social setup of India. This is being depicted through kalyanotsavams in temples.
The energy merging with supreme bhramam is depicted as Kalyana utsavam.
Madurai Meenakshi Kalyanam is considered to be most famous because a queen and king have lived as a sample for that.
Let us rethink about our sweet family life.....
Dr.M.Madeswaran
30.4.2015
