Devi Meenakshi is an reincarnation of Devi Parvati – the consort of Paramashiva who incarnated in the human body as the daughter of the Pandya king Malayadhvaja and his wife Kanchanamala who ruled the Panya Kingdom from Madurai 2000 years ago.

Earlier in the past life of Kanchamala, she had got a boon from Goddess Parvati to mother the latter. Goddess Parvati’s boon came true when king Malayadhvaja and his wife Kanchamamala performed the Putra Kameshti Yaga – the sacred fire ritual to have progeny. During this Yaga, Goddess Parvati emerged out of the sacred fire as a baby. The baby, to the royal couple’s shock, had three breasts. When they worried about that, at once an Ashariri Vak – a heavenly voice – was heard by them. The divine voice comforted them by telling that the baby is a divine girl and her third breast would vanish once the girl meets her fiancé. The gratified royal couple named the baby as Tadadagai – the one who emerged out of fire.

The girl Tadadagai being the heir to the Royal throne was meticulously trained in all the 64 arts explained in the scriptures. She excelled in each and every field inclusive of the martial arts. During auspicious time, Thadadagai’s Pattabhishekam coronation as the queen of the Pandya kingdom. As a queen when She had to prove Her supremacy, power and courage, She travelled in all the ten directions (inclusive of the Swarga and Patala) and very easily defeated and conquered all the worlds. Finally when she advance towards the Kailash, She effortlessly defeated the Bhutaganas – the army of Lord Shiva. She even defeated the chief of Bhutaganas, the Adhikara Nandi Deva – the divine bull vehicle of Lord Shiva – who stopped Her proceeding further. Her conquering of all the worlds is called the Dig Vijayam. This divine play of Her is called the Dig Vijayam.

Tadadagai finally headed towards Lord Shiva – who appeared as Lord Sundareshwara – with an intention to defeat Him and conquer Kailash, The moment She set Her eyes on Lord Sundareshwara, Her third breast got vanished. Unable to fight further, She bowed Her head down out of blush and realized that He was destined to be Her husband. She surrendered and realised that He is the embodiment of Enlightenment. By realizing this, She fell in love with Him and realized that She was an incarnation of Devi Parvati.

With this realization, the union of Shiva and Shakti happened and She expressed the power to enlighten people just by Her look. From then She was known as Meenakshi – the one with eyes like the eyes of fish. It is said that fish hatch their eggs just by looking at their eggs. Meenakshi came along with Lord Sundareshwara to Madurai and an unprecedented grand wedding ceremony was arranged by king Malayadhvaja. Lord Vishnu who is the brother of Devi Meenakshi was supposed to preside the marriage and give away His sister in marriage to Lord Sundareshwara. But Lord Vishnu from Vaikunta could not make it for the marriage. So the incarnation of Vishnu Pavalakkanivai Perumal from the suburbs of Madurai presided over the marriage and gave Her away in marriage to Lord Siva Himself. This marriage was attended by all the celestial beings and became one of the rarest and very important events of the Cosmos. This celestial marriage is called the Meenakshi Tirukkalayanam. Meenakshi Tirukkalyanam is the expression of the highest principle of the union of Shiva and Shakti.

When Lord Vishnu was coming to Madurai, He heard the news that the marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareshwara is over and so He started returning back to Vaikunta. On His way back to Vaikunta, He entered the river Vaigai which flows in the city of Madurai to liberate a frog and bestowed Enlightenment on it.

After their marriage, Meenakshi and Sundareshwara came around the Cosmos in a divine chariot to bless all beings in the Cosmos.
Meenakshi and Sundareshwara ruled the Cosmos from the south Indian city of Madurai for a long time, expressed so many mystical powers by performing miracles and established Dharma – the science of Enlightenment on the planet Earth

The wedding between Meenakshi and Sundereshwara is not a normal wedding, but a celestial wedding This wedding is the outer expression of the cosmic union between Paramashiva and Pasamashivashakti – the Divine Masculine Consciousness and the Divine Feminine Consciousness – the union marking the establishing of individual consciousness into Supreme Consciousness, attaining the state of Paramadvaita – Oneness with Paramashiva This wedding literally symbolizes the happening of life – srishti in the cosmos. This celebration, this event of creation and creative expansion out of completion is celebrated by each and every particle of this universe. This wedding is like the big-bang bringing everything to life and celebrate life. 

On this special cosmic happening of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, when the planetary alignment is perfect to re-create the energy of this powerful cosmic union between Paramashiva anal Paramashivashakli in the form of Sundareshwara and Meenakshi, we urge you to not just be spectators or passive participants, but imitate this happening in your own life. Especially if you are married, this is a powerful golden chance for you to rekindle and re-ignile the right context in your marriage, realign with the real purpose af your life and your relationship with your spouse and renew the relationship by re-declaring the wedding vows, recommitting to your partner and infusing this powerful energy into your marriage, infuse new life created during this auspicions ritual of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam when the entire cosmos is supporting you.

This grand cosmic celebration of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, the wedding ceremony of Devi Meenakshi and Soma Sundareshwara Swami, symbolizes the Oneness experience of Paramadvaita, the experience of Paramashivoham – I am Paramashiva that Devi Meenakshi experienced in the state of deep surrender and love towards Him. This experience of cosmic union is the fruition of intense seeking from many births. This is the very purpose of our lives. In fact every relationship should lead us to this final goal of enlightenment. And when Oneness becomes the contest and the good of the most intimate human relationship of marriage, that marriage becomes a celebration and a path towards our liberation.

Two beings coming together, supporting each other to get liberated from the very dependence on the other body, in fact beyond that, liberating oneself from the very idea that you are a body is divine marriage, Hindu marriage.Seting the right context into your marriage and taking the blessings of Devi Meenakshi and Sundareshwara Paramashiva leads to a prosperous and fulfilling married life as well.

This auspicious muhurta of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam is an opportunity for all of the married couples out there to re-cognize your marriage as that between Meenakshi and Sundareshwara, cognize yourselves as their manifestations and cognize the goal of your marriage as to achieve this Oneness experience within us and re-declare your commitment to your partner with this upgraded contest of achieving complete completion within us with the help of your partner and creating a family that upholds dharma in the society, progeny that is an asset and a blessing for the society, and creating a home which is nothing less than the temple where Devi Meenakshi Paramashivashakti and Sundareshwara Paramashiva themselves reside.

Following are the seven sacred vows that form the backbone of the Hindu wedding:

1 First Vow: “Let us take the first step to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living.”
2 Second Vow: “Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental, and spiritual powers.”
3 Third Vow: “Let us take the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use.”
4 Fourth Vow: “Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness, and harmony by mutual love and trust.”
5 Fifth Vow: “Let us take the fifth step to be blessed with strong, virtuous, and heroic children.”
6 Sixth Vow: “Let us take the sixth step to cultivate self-restraint and longevity.”
7 Seventh Vow: “Let us take the seventh step to be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock.”

It is time for you to renew your seven sacred wedding vows again to bolt this deeper content into your relationship and give the relationship an upgraded new beginning, a breakthrough.