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Description

My original characters from Pairidaeza.
“Gandharva vivaha” (lit. wedding of celestials) - the tradition of marriage among Indians, based on mutual love and consent, and is performed without interference from the family or society. The loving couple swears to each other to live together, and celebrates the wedding without religious ceremonies and rites or legal agreements. This type of marriage is similar to the Western concept of civil law. Some believe that this form of marriage is ideal, because it does not depends on the opinion of either relatives, or society, or even the gods, and lives only due to true love.
In the Vedas the only ritual of the gandharva marriage is the offering and putting on each other the flower garlands “varmala” or “jamala” by partners as a sign of consent, love and respect.
This marriage is named by the term “gandharva” because the gandharvas, celestial beings, entered into this type of marriage. In ancient Indian epics, gandharvas are described as beautiful, ever young men, the skillful artists, dancers and musicians, and the women of the gandharva kin were called apsaras. Many gandharvas were warriors, as well as experts in art and magic.
I have already mentioned before that there is something common between Indian gandharvas and the Persian peri (both of these are eternally young spirits or deities), given that the Indo-Iranian culture was once an entity. However, when the split happened, the gandarev - in the Avesta – are the sea dragon-monsters, and pairika are evil spirits.
In ancient Indian epochs, Gandharva or Apsaras often had close relationships with people. Mostly heterosexual unions mentioned, yet, Hindu culture did not deny the existence of the queer society in religion or mythology. There are some records of same-sex unions. For example, Ila – an androgynous deity whose gender is changing every month from male (Prince Sudyumna) to female (Ila). His / her husband was Budha - whose analogue in Greek mythology is god Hermes – Mercury (who, by the way, had beloved men, and Hermaphrodite was his son). It is interesting that in the Vedas, Ayyappa - the deity of unity and harmony, is the son of Shiva and Vishnu (who turned into a woman to give birth to Ayyappa).
“Tritiya-prakriti” – literally "third nature” - are people of the third sex, was a designation for the persons if LGBT + community. At some times, Indian laws condemned Gandharva marriage and similar traditions, as well as the same-sex relationships, considering them religiously and morally unacceptable. Later they were tolerated and recognized that such unions had a place to be, and usually were consummated through the gandharva marriage.
Eventually, I would say, that putting on fragrant garlands, tying clothes into the “sacred knot”, taking oaths before the fire - the mediator of God — is just a belief, a sign and symbol of the connection between two creatures, the union of their kins and life. However, only because of LOVE, the two halves become one.
PS: Happy Valentine’s day from Elv to everyone ! ❤️ thanks for the fav and love!

Posted on tumblr for reblog
Published on Patreon for Patrons

Description

My original characters from Pairidaeza.
“Gandharva vivaha” (lit. wedding of celestials) - the tradition of marriage among Indians, based on mutual love and consent, and is performed without interference from the family or society. The loving couple swears to each other to live together, and celebrates the wedding without religious ceremonies and rites or legal agreements. This type of marriage is similar to the Western concept of civil law. Some believe that this form of marriage is ideal, because it does not depends on the opinion of either relatives, or society, or even the gods, and lives only due to true love.
In the Vedas the only ritual of the gandharva marriage is the offering and putting on each other the flower garlands “varmala” or “jamala” by partners as a sign of consent, love and respect.
This marriage is named by the term “gandharva” because the gandharvas, celestial beings, entered into this type of marriage. In ancient Indian epics, gandharvas are described as beautiful, ever young men, the skillful artists, dancers and musicians, and the women of the gandharva kin were called apsaras. Many gandharvas were warriors, as well as experts in art and magic.
I have already mentioned before that there is something common between Indian gandharvas and the Persian peri (both of these are eternally young spirits or deities), given that the Indo-Iranian culture was once an entity. However, when the split happened, the gandarev - in the Avesta – are the sea dragon-monsters, and pairika are evil spirits.
In ancient Indian epochs, Gandharva or Apsaras often had close relationships with people. Mostly heterosexual unions mentioned, yet, Hindu culture did not deny the existence of the queer society in religion or mythology. There are some records of same-sex unions. For example, Ila – an androgynous deity whose gender is changing every month from male (Prince Sudyumna) to female (Ila). His / her husband was Budha - whose analogue in Greek mythology is god Hermes – Mercury (who, by the way, had beloved men, and Hermaphrodite was his son). It is interesting that in the Vedas, Ayyappa - the deity of unity and harmony, is the son of Shiva and Vishnu (who turned into a woman to give birth to Ayyappa).
“Tritiya-prakriti” – literally "third nature” - are people of the third sex, was a designation for the persons if LGBT + community. At some times, Indian laws condemned Gandharva marriage and similar traditions, as well as the same-sex relationships, considering them religiously and morally unacceptable. Later they were tolerated and recognized that such unions had a place to be, and usually were consummated through the gandharva marriage.
Eventually, I would say, that putting on fragrant garlands, tying clothes into the “sacred knot”, taking oaths before the fire - the mediator of God — is just a belief, a sign and symbol of the connection between two creatures, the union of their kins and life. However, only because of LOVE, the two halves become one.
PS: Happy Valentine’s day from Elv to everyone ! ❤️ thanks for the fav and love!

Posted on tumblr for reblog
Published on Patreon for Patrons