No cause for anxiety

THE rumours of the mangalsutra of Goddess Padmavathy at Tiruchanoor slipping from the idol's neck caused consternation and fear in a large part of the community, particularly among women. For Hindu women, the mangalsutra is the one single symbol of their wedded state, and any harm or danger to it is seen as an evil portent.

On Monday, January 29, when the news of what was supposed to have happened in Tiruchanoor broke, hundreds of women rushed to get yellow threads to tie around their necks, in a feverish attempt to ward off ill effects. Those who had actually got married on that day, which was a subha muhurtham (auspicious day) were even more upset at the incident, which the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam later dismissed as totally untrue.

But, even assuming it were true, the knee-jerk reaction among the general public threw aside all rational explanations which might see the happening as a natural result of carelessness or just aging of the thread that bore the goddess's mangalsutra.

In this context, it is interesting to learn that the tying of the mangalsutra, which means auspicious thread or cord, is not a religious practice but a social one, and that too of recent origin.

It is surprising but true that this practice was not in vogue in ancient days in Hindu weddings. The Grhyasutras do not mention the mangalsutra but only a kankana bandhana. The kankana bandhana or protective cord was worn by the couple to protect them from all kinds of pollution before the samvesana (consummation). It appears the mangalsutra evolved more as a popular practice than as a scriptural observance.

The other explanation for the word thaali, which is commonly used in South India, is that in ancient days the leaves of the palm tree called thaala vriksha were strung together and used in the place of a cord or thread.

In Hindu weddings in South India, at the precise moment of the tying of thaali, the purohits call for the getti melam. Getti melam means resounding percussion. This is done to submerge any discordant sound like a sneeze, cry or wail, which could distract the couple.

In North Indian weddings, the strains of the shehnai sound at this moment, accompanying the vedic chants of thepriests.

The mantra that the groom utters while tying the mangalsutra, prays for 100 years of life as a sumangali for the bride. Sumangali again means a woman who dons the auspicious thread. In other words, it prays for a 100 years more for the groom!

The mangalsutra smeared with the auspicious vermillion varies in form and style from region to region and sect to sect.

Here is a story associated with the mangalsutra: Awoman whose husband was very ill, prayed to Lord Srinivasa (the same Lord Srinivasa who is the consort of Padmavathy!) that if his life was saved, she would donate her mangalsutra to the temple hundi. He survived and when the moment came for her to make good the promise, she wavered. The Lord commanded her to fulfil the vow. She did it, in tears. The moment she did it, another mangalsutra appeared on her neck!

This parable only tells the confused mind not to worry over the material trappings that might symbolise a union, but rather concentrate on the spiritual significance attached to the married state. It also speaks of the benefit of total surrender to the Lord.

At a simple plane then, there is no cause for anxiety over what supposedly happened in Tiruchanoor because the mangalsutra is a social rather than a religious practice. In the cosmic dimension, it is wise to remember that mortal fears should not be superimposed on what is considered immortal or divine. Let us remember and take heart from the qualities of the Lord as enunciated in the Vishnu Sahasranama -- He controls every leaf that falls in this world, but is not tied down by its conventions because of his transcendence. He is the consort of Lakshmi, yet not bound to anyone or anything.

He has a form yet is formless. It is in this endless series of apparent paradoxes that the true meaning of divinity lies.

A. A.

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