Adhyaya 14

This chapter depicts a vast cosmic convocation that culminates in the wedding rites of Śrī (Lakṣmī) with Nārāyaṇa/Vāsudeva. Skanda recounts the arrival of Brahmā and Śiva, the Manus, Mahārṣis, Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Cāraṇas, and many divine hosts, along with sacred rivers personified as attendant powers. At Brahmā’s command a radiant maṇḍapa is raised, adorned with jeweled pillars, lamps, and festoons. Śrī is ceremonially seated and consecrated; the diggajas bathe her with waters brought from the four oceans as Vedic recitations, music, dance, and auspicious hymns (with Śrī-sūkta allusions) accompany the rite. Deities then bestow gifts in sequence—garments, ornaments, and auspicious articles. The Ocean (Samudra), presented here as Śrī’s father, consults Brahmā about a worthy bridegroom, and Brahmā declares that only Vāsudeva, the supreme Lord, is her fitting spouse. The formal wedding acts—vākdāna and the fire ritual—are performed, with Dharma and Mūrti placed as parental figures by deliberation. The chapter ends with gods and goddesses honoring the divine couple, and with devotional praise that frames the marriage as a model of cosmic harmony and auspicious order.