– Arjun Dahal
Mahadev, as found in scriptures of Hinduism is a supreme deity who is worshipped by all from the divine beings to the mortals. Through this work, we shall have a discourse on the character of Mahadev by limiting ourselves within the confinement of Swoosthaani Mahatamya. It’s true that there are lots of stories about him in the textbooks of religion, and our work shall be strictly being limited within the Swoosthaani Mahatamya.
Mahadev as a representation of Bachelor
Every living being that has ever come into existence has always followed the passage of time. Regarding the humans, marriage plays an important role to begin a family life and confine one’s own generation. In Swoosthaani, Mahadev is shown to be Bachelor in early chapters. Here we shall not cite particular textbooks as references because the stories are almost same in all of the books.
When dewatas gets married with the daughters of Dakshya Prajapati without informing him, Mahadev too thinks of getting married. Then through his vision he finds Satidewi, daughter of Dakshya as the most beautiful lady on this creastion. When Mahadev is insulted by Dakshya when he sought hands of Satidewi, he seeks help of Bishnu and by their joint effort and by cheating; Mahadev successfully gets hands of Sati.
This resembles a typical unmarried person in our society who is then insulted, and as a matter of ego driven by factor of love, beauty and attraction, gets married to the girl whom he sought.
Mahadev as a lover and blind lover
After getting married to sati in the form of old man, Mahadev doesn’t reveals his true identity at first, but seeks to test his wife and her devotion towards her husband by creating an old hut. Sati knows that the person to whom she is married is Mahadev, only after he shatters the old hut and let her have a glance of Kailash.
Mahadev as a lover can be seen in the story of Swoosthaani Mahatamya when he blindly loves sati and after the death of sati, he carries her dead body in his shoulders and in grief and pain wanders through places. Another instance is when sati gets reborned as Parwati, Mahadev then thinks of testing her again by disguishing himself as Indra before being satisfied by her devotion and revealing his true identity.
Next story mentions that Mahadev visited Sleshmaantak forest in the form of Kirat and Parwati when she knows about Mahadev, she too disguishes herself as Kiratini and wanders in that same forest. When Kirat Mahadev sees her, her beauty attracts Mahadev and Mahadev begins to flirt with her stating her as Sundari. When she accepts Mahadev’s proposal to get married, and takes him to her father’s home. Mahadev upon knowing that he is going to the Himalaya’s house realizes that the Kiratini is Parwati and being ashamed flees away from the scene.
This shows that character of Mahadev as a lover and a flirty fellow, who too is tested by his wife Parwati.
Mahadev as Nirgun and Sagun:
The most and foremost important character of Mahadev lies in staying nirgun by being free from Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, and Moha, being deeply engaged in meditation as a sage, and can be found as sagun with all the qualities any human would like to see as a reflection of themselves in terms of love living an happy and balanced family life.
