Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi are Exemplary Couples

A concise summary of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 23

Pārvatī, the daughter of the King of the Himālayas, selected Lord Śiva, who appears to be just like a beggar, as her husband. In spite of her being a princess, she undertook all kinds of tribulations to associate with Lord Śiva, who did not even have a house, but was sitting underneath the trees and passing his time in meditation. Although Bhavānī was the daughter of a very great king, she used to serve Lord Śiva just like a poor woman. Similarly, Devahūti was the daughter of an emperor, Svāyambhuva Manu, yet she preferred to accept Kardama Muni as her husband. She served him with great love and affection, and she knew how to please him. Therefore she is designated here as sādhvī, which means “a chaste, faithful wife.” Her rare example is the ideal of Vedic civilization. Every woman is expected to be as good and chaste as Devahūti. Unmarried girls should worship Lord Śiva and Pārvatī with the idea that they may get husbands like him. Lord Śiva is the ideal husband, not in the sense of riches or sense gratification, but because he is the ideal spiritual husband. The girls are not taught to select a husband who is very rich or very opulent for material enjoyment; rather, if a girl is fortunate enough to get a husband as good as Lord Śiva, then her life becomes perfect. The wife is dependent on the husband, and if the husband is a devotee, then naturally she shares the devotional service of the husband because she renders him service. This reciprocation of service and love between husband and wife is the ideal of a householder’s life.

Devahuti happens to come from a very rich family, the daughter of Emperor Svāyambhuva Manu. She could have been very proud of her parentage. However, she was not proud of her parental position. As soon as the wife becomes proud of her parentage, her pride creates great misunderstanding between the husband and wife, and their nuptial life is ruined. Devahūti was very careful about that, and therefore it is said here that she gave up pride completely.

Devahuti was not used to an austere life. As a result, she became weak by living an austere life with Kardama Muni. The sage felt compassionate for her. By serving her devotee husband, Kardama Muni, Devahūti shared in his achievements. By the grace of Kardama Muni, Devahūti experienced spiritual realization simply by serving.

Both Kardama Muni and Devahūti were spiritually enlightened. Therefore she expressed her desire to Kardama Muni that she wants to become pregnant. For a woman it is a great ambition to have a son of the same quality as a highly qualified husband. Since she had the opportunity to have Kardama Muni as her husband, she also desired to have a child by bodily union.

In order to satisfy his wife’s desire, Kardama Muni created a mansion in the air using his yogic powers. The mansion was full of jewels. Even the pillars were made of pearls and valuable stones. These valuable jewels and stones were not subject to deterioration, but were everlastingly and increasingly opulent. The mansion had 7 stories and was encompassed with charming beds, chairs etc.

Kardama Muni used his yogic powers to transform Devahuti into a healthy lady and restored her beauty.

In the aerial mansion, Kardama Muni traveled throughout the eight directions. He made the palace occupied with damsels. When one is surrounded by beautiful young girls, sex stimulation naturally becomes prominent. Kardama Muni was sexually stimulated, and he enjoyed his wife for many, many years in the mansion. But his sex indulgence was praised by many, many Siddhas, beings who have attained perfection, because it was intended to produce good progeny for the good of universal affairs.

Kardama Muni divided himself into 9 personalities who had sex with Devahuti for several years. It is understood that the sexual appetite of a woman is nine times greater than that of a man. Otherwise, Kardama Muni would have had no reason to expand himself into nine. Here is another example of yogic power. As the Supreme Lord can expand Himself in millions of forms, a yogī can also expand up to nine forms, but not more than that.

Devahuti gave birth to 9 beautiful girls. Then he returned to his hermitage and got ready to depart for the forest to advance himself spiritually.

Devahūti said to Kardmama Muni that since she was attached to living with him for sense gratification, which does not lead to liberation from material entanglement, her life was simply a waste of time. Any work one performs that does not lead to the state of religious life is useless activity. Everyone is by nature inclined to some sort of work, and when that work leads one to religious life and religious life leads one to renunciation and renunciation leads one to devotional service, one attains the perfection of work.

As a woman, as an ordinary wife, Devahūti became attached to Kardama Muni in order to satisfy her sense enjoyment and other material necessities, but actually she was associated with a great personality. Now she understood this, and she wanted to utilize the advantage of the association of her great husband.