Divya-vani news service, part 4

Mathura prepares for royal wedding, Kamsa to drive a chariot in traditional right

Mathura, India. “A king’s doter and a king’s son will soon marry here in the land that is home to their ancient dynasties”, a spokesman for the royal palace announced today.

The marriage will be celebrated in grand traditional style. The bride groom is Vasudev, son of Surasena. King Surasena is a head of extensive kingdom that bears his name. He is the leader of the Yadu dynasty, an important royal family in the area. The bride to be, named Devaki, is the daughter of Devaka. Memebers of the royal family here are known simply by one name. Devakas brother Ugrasena is the king of Bhoja dynasty, another influential royal family.

The wedding will be celebrated with pageantry, with processions, with rights and fanfare. And at the end of the ceremonies, the bride’s brother, following an old traditional custom, will drive the bride by chariot to her new home.

“A girl here lives sheltered at home with her family till marriage”, explained Dr Satish Trivedi, head of the sociology department at Mathura university. “Then at marriage, she moves in with her husband and becomes as if wore a part of his family. By driving the chariot”, Dr Trivedi explained, “the brother responds sympathetically to the sisters natural feeling of missing the home where she has grown up. It is really a heart touching custom”, Dr Trivedi said.

The brother of the bride is Kamsa, who has recently been singled out for the criticism by the United Demigods, as cruel and oppressive. But the spokesman for the Mathura palace, Mr Trigun Mohit gave a different picture. “They just do not know Kamsa at all”, Mr Mohit said. “They got him all wrong. You should see him close up, like with his family, how caring and gentle he is.”

“Technically, Kamsa and Devaki are not brother and sister their fathers are brothers, so Kamsa and Devaki are cousins. But in this part of the world”, Mr Mohir said, “that technicality hardly matters. First cousins are like brothers and sisters. Apart from that”, he said, “Kamsa really sees her like his sister. I just cannot tell you how much he loves that girl.”

The entire kingdom thoroughly excited is giring up for the wedding. On the streets and in the cafes’, wherever you go, it is the topic of everyone’s talk. In Mr Mohit words, “This is going to be a wedding that people will long remember.”

HH Jayadvaita Swami, Seminar: Preaching from the news, Radhadesh 2002