cgqfj cjkrh eqfnr pys tuoklfgA
nwyg nqyfgu xs rc gkl&voklfgAA133AA
jksfd }kj eSuk rc dkSrqd dhUgsmA
dfj ygdkSfj xkSfj gj cM+ lq[k nhUgsmAA134AA
bahuri barātī mudita calē janavāsahi.
dūlaha dulahina gē taba hāsa-avāsahi. 133.
rōki dvāra mainā taba kautuka kīnhē'u.
kari lahakauri gauri hara baṛa sukha dīnhē'u. 134.
133-134. Then the members of the marriage party cheerfully went to their place of
lodging, while the groom and the bride went to the ‘Kohabar’. [This is the place
where the family deities are kept for worship by the newly married couple.] (133)
At that time, Maina (the mother of Parvati) stopped them briefly in the
doorway joyously as part of a ritual. Then Gauri and Har (i.e. Parvati and Shiva) did
the rite of ‘Lahakauri’, and thereby gave immense delight and satisfaction to her
(Maina) (134).
[Note—The ‘Lahakauri’ ritual involves the bride and groom symbolically feeding
each other with sweetened curd using their fingers as spoons while the ladies
surrounding them pass lewd remarks at the couple and poke fun at them, making
them blush. It is a rite aimed at overcoming their inhibitions. It is meant to make them
more informal and break the barrier of shyness and bashfulness that is usually present
in the early stages of a married life, especially during the marriage ceremony itself
when so many people attending it have their gaze fixed on the couple.]
tqvk [ksykor xkfj nsfga fxfj ukfjfgA
vkifu vksj fugkfj çeksn iqjkfjfgAA135AA
l[kh lqvkflfu lklq ikm lq[k lc fcf/kA
tuoklsfg cj pysm ldy eaxy fuf/kAA136AA
ju'ā khēlāvata gāri dēhiṁ giri nārihi.
āpani ōra nihāri pramōda purārihi. 135.
sakhī su'āsini sāsu pā'u sukha saba bidhi.
janavāsēhi bara calē'u sakala maṅgala nidhi. 136.
135-136. During the ritual of playing the ‘game of dice’, all the women sang sarcastic
songs spiced (laced) by offensive language (but this is not done to offend anyone but
merely to crack jokes and make light banter to create a cheerful, informal and friendly
atmosphere, to break ice between the groom’s side the bride’s side). Shiva looked at
himself and felt delighted (wondering that since he had no mother, how these women
would abuse him or poke funs at him and his mother). (135)
Parvati’s friends, married girls and the mother-in-law—all of them felt happy
and exhilarated.
Then the groom (Lord Shiva)—who was a treasury or a personified form of all
auspiciousness, well-beings and goodness in this world—proceeded cheerfully
towards the place where the marriage party had been lodged^1. (136)
[Note—The ‘game of dice’— The dice game is another such ritual to break the so-
called ice of formalities and protocol between the bride and groom’s families. This
ritual tends to bring the two families closer at the down-to-earth level by poking