So i covered the breath taking beauty of Isha yoga foundation and its viability as a cost effective destination for a wedding in part one of this article. While the aesthetics, the arrangements and the cost is really really great ! The main reason we went there was much more important and mystical.
We wanted a Bhuta Shudhi Ritual a tantric ritual that ties the couple in a elemental way. Now there are a few masters who can do this, however in most cases the ritual binds the couple too tight. If one becomes sick so does the other. If one dies so does the other etc.
We found that it was not very practical in today's age. We wanted a place where the ritual is done in a way that the bond was just right. Not too tight to die with each other but tight enough to live well with each other. Where your love life,respect and physical intimacy for each other would be off a different intensity.
Now needless to say such an esoteric thing happens in rare places and needs a seriously spiritually advanced person to conduct it for you. And if the ritual is NOT done well its consequences can be not so pleasant for the couple !
Before i go any further let me explain a bit. As per Yoga the cosmos and its inhabitants are all made of five elements. The " Bhuta" bit refers to these elements ."Shuddhi" means purification.Essentially what happens in the ritual is a purification of the five elements and a bit of each others elements merging to an extend where we can experience each other directly !
After our initial briefing we were led to the presence of the "Linga Bhairavi" an intense manifestation of the great mother goddess or Shakti or Yin Energy.
The ritual itself was a short one , did not take more than 25 mins. People are encouraged to watch the ritual as well. Since the benefits of the ritual don't just accrue to the main couple but also others who are watching the same. We had so many people who were visitors in the ashram coming into attend the wedding it was just crazy in a good way !
**The person conducting the ritual came and with great care took out a turmeric thread and tied the two ends as very specific knots on our ring fingers. As soon as the knots were tied both our fingers started heating up to the point where i felt it would burn up. Also our whole hand was throbbing like a JBL speaker in full flow ! It stayed that way till the whole ritual was over. **
Then we had to together with hands joined chant a certain mantra and offer certain items..lets just say Tantric packages to the sacred fire around which the marriage was being consecrated.
Then the pendant which has been worshiped for days in the Dhyanalinga, a powerful meditative space in the Isha Yoga Foundation, is threaded to a cotton thread treated with turmeric and other tantric items and tied around the Woman's neck.
The Thread needs to be kept on without removing for at least 3 months. Its best if you keep it for an Year however modern dressing and fashion choices may make that difficult. So the minimum time duration is 3 months. Post that i removed the pendant from the thread and put it on a gold chain and i wear it now ALL the time !
As the ritual became more and more intense we noticed more and more people the in the crowd, a lot of them unknown to us started to break down cry. By the end of the ritual almost everyone was crying, The energy in the room was literally one that could be physically felt.
Once the ritual around the fire was done. We touched the feet of the elders in the both the families and sought their blessings.
And then in the end.
**The man and the woman would bow down to each other to show their respect to each other and underscore the equal nature of a relationship such as this. As you can see there is no space for Chauvinism or Feminism here. The two aspects of the universe Yin and Yang just are in a tight embrace till death ! **
Then it was time to party ! So we ate drank and made merry ;)
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