A gift called “Wife”

Somewhere, I remember, to have read about the Orientals’ concept of an ideal wife: “A real wife is like a minister for the personal affairs of her husband, a friend in executing his tasks, in affectionate dealings she is like his mother and in his bed she is like a courtesan. Such a wife is auspicious” (Garuda Purana, 1.64.6). Is there a word in English that adequately describes – such a paragon of virtues in the form of a beautiful, female, human-being, playing the role of a wife? If there is one, then few women indeed, would qualify to be described thus.

Blessed indeed is the man, who is bestowed with such a woman, capable of enriching his entire life, filling it hope, happiness and healthy attitude. Personally, I must say, that I, am one of those lucky husbands who has been graced thus.  My wife is my savior, guide and friend; she is my albatross, averting the turbulent disasters that threaten to drown me in the ocean of my troubles, and guiding me to the shores of safety; very much like the woman praised by the Orientals.

Ever since I met her, I have been drawn to her like a magnet. A young, beautiful woman, with a gorgeous body, lovely soft eyes and sensual lips, that make heads turn round instantly. Eligible suitors sought her, as do butterflies circle an attractive flower. Her eyes shone like stars, and her heart was filled with dreams – dreams of making it big, in the Hollywood.

She has a sweet demeanor that hides the tensile nature of the resolute strength of her character and, little did I realize this invaluable asset at the time of our marriage. Nevertheless, I felt elated when she reciprocated my love and we walked down the Alter, as man and wife. But, I was to discover that, more than beauty, there were other things that contributed to her attractive personality. The adept professionalism in her single-handed management and smooth execution of our wedding plans to the last detail, unfolded a new aspect of her strength, to me.

Our wedding day also revealed to me, the adamant streak in her. I remember, when all was ready and, I was about to enter the premises, she bid me on her mobile-phone, to fetch a particular candle she wanted lit on this special occasion. Unable to refuse the plea in her voice, I turned and started back. I remember, it was a chill, winter day, and a gust of cold wind pierced my face sharply, while searching for her car and groping with the keys.

Sweat broke out on my forehead and my breath became heavy, as it was getting late, and I still couldn’t find candle in the place where she had supposed it to be; neither my words of counsel nor the advice of her bridesmaids (which got carried through on the mobile quite clearly), to proceed with the ceremonies without the candle, had little effect on her. It rather made her more stubborn, to have the candle fetched and lit, and she pined that none of us understood the deep significance of her actions. Whew! How I heaved a sigh of relief, when I finally found it. Thankfully, I dabbed away the sweat on my forehead with my handkerchief, and straightened my jacket, now that all was well.

Later, I took ill and was down in bed requiring extra attention and care. There she was, by my side, with a soothing smile on her lips and a warm grasp on my wrist, feeling my pulse, monitoring my temperature, administering the drugs advised by the doctor, reassuring me all the time with kind words, that all shall be well. My heart was touched and eyes filled with unshed tears, when she made it to the doctor’s appointment, traveling across half the city – through peak traffic, despite her heavy schedule, to apprise the doctor regarding the status of my health and explore the options of my speedy recovery.

The very same adamant streak came to the fore here in albeit in a very agreeable manner; with tenacity she clutched on to hope, never giving up, and adamantly pushed away pessimistic thoughts. Her son depends on this unique trait of hers, to prop him up during the defeating bouts of his mental-illness, and to keep him going. However, we her close kin and kith are not the only recipients of her kindness. She is surely a tower of strength, to many a friend and I personally know of few instances in which she has pulled some friends back from the brink of ruin.

Now, am I not right in feeling that I have been graciously granted a rare and “auspicious” present in the form of a tenacious life-partner?

Bibliography

Garuda Purana, 1.64.6 –  Tr. J.L. Shastri/A board of scholars, Ancient Indian Tradition

and Mythology 12-14, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 1982. (extracts with notes in [] by JanM, 1997). Retrieved on 24th May, 2006, from website address:

<http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/garuda-purana.htm>