Who was it that once said, “All the world loves a lover”? Well, whoever it was, he/she must certainly not have come from where I do. The part of the world where I come from hardly loves a lover.
It is, I think, a little strange that falling in love and wanting to marry someone of your own choice, rather than your parents’ in India is considered, well, somewhat of a taboo thing to do. Why should it be this way? And how did it come to be this way? Hinduism never preached that it was wrong or immoral to love another. (In fact, I’m quite sure it is the opposite).
In every language spoken in India, there is a word for love. In fact, the mother of most languages borne in India, Sanskrit, is supposed to have ninety-six words for love! It is the land of many love stories, buried in the past. There are mythological stories too, about Gods and who they fell in love with. These stories have touched and inspired me and made me think, and so, in the next couple of weeks, I plan to blog about some of these stories that I know of.
I will start with perhaps the most famous of them all. The story of Shah Jahan and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal that reflects the intensity and passion love can bring about. This is how the story goes:
Prince Khurram met Arjumand Banu at a bazaar. She was trying to sell him a piece of glass she insisted was a diamond for Rs. 10,000. The prince was so smitten that he not only purchased the diamond, but went straight to his father to announce to him that he wanted to marry her. Their wedding took place five years later, and they became inseparable. Arjumand was bestowed the name ‘Mumtaz Mahal’, meaning the ‘jewel of the palace’. And that she was, for Shah Jahan entrusted her with many matters. It is said that she became his political adviser and often accompanied him on his military campaigns.
Less than 20 loving years later, however, she died in childbirth. Shah Jahan, heartbroken, resolved to make a monument that would forever be a symbol of the love they shared. Mumtaz Mahal was buried in the Taj Mahal which took nearly two decades to be made. Upon Shah Jahan’s death, he too was entombed in the Taj, next to his beloved wife.
It remains today, a memento of love, with the perfection of art. This is a story of devotion and faith, and of undying love, encased in the wondrous beauty of the Taj Mahal.
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thnx for the comment. and here’s me thinking its impossible for any1 to read my blog even when its on search engines. i like yerr blog. good love advice. ill show it to my dad, he’s about to get married in sept. and would love this site!