The art of waiting it out

Oasis

Most people at the helm of affairs are adept at making equitable decisions. Yet many of them underrate the thought of waiting out a situation to arrive at the desired result.

A tale from the Shiva Purana highlights the significance of this trait. Once, Narada maharishi visited Himavaan, the king of mountains. When princess Parvathi bowed to him, he blessed the young lady saying that she was destined to marry Shiva.

Now, Himavaan was aware of the fact that the said Shiva was meditating in his country at Stanvaashrama. He was also keenly aware of Shiva’s antecedents. Shiva had lost his wife Dakshayani in tragic circumstances and had taken up celibacy. The Dharmic king knew that a Gruhasta or a householder could take up Sanyasa, but was not sure whether such a person could revert to the role of a householder again.

However, the king knew that the sage’s prophecy was profound and would come true and benefit the universe in some way. Therefore, he accepted the idea that his princess who was a paragon of virtues deserved to be Shiva’s bride. However, he did not take the initiative of approaching Shiva in the given circumstances as he was not sure how Shiva would respond to the idea.

At the same time, the king of the mountains was unwilling to give away his daughter in marriage when unsought by the groom. He decided to wait and watch for an amicable way out of the predicament. Kalidasa has captured the essence of Himavaan’s stand beautifully in one stanza in his Kumara Sambhavam. He says that Himavaan did not take the initiative in the impending matrimony fearing rejection. The hesitation of the father of the bride-to-be does not connote the ego of the king or his lack of faith in Narada’s words. His sensibilities prompted him to wait out of the situation. His sensitivity enabled him to foresee the impact and the repercussions of the outcome on either party both in the short term and long term if he acted on the matrimonial scene immediately.

Needless to say that the equanimity of the king fetched him the glory of making Shiva the recipient of his precious Parvathi in marriage.