Luv-Kush,
Shubha-Labha, Riddhi-Siddhi are inseparable pairs of Vedanta. They signify that
you cannot get one without the help of the other.
In Luv-Kush, Kush is a symbol of purity and Luv symbolize the
spiritual love. To achieve love one has to be pure in consciousness. To acquire
love and inner happiness in life, one may have to use kush, a herb, in daily
life. No traditional Hindu ritual is complete without the use of kush
grasses.
Kush is a benevolent
satvik detoxifying grass, a symbol of progress and alertness. The word “kushal
buddhi” originates from the word kush. In Bhagavad Gita (shloka 6.10) Krishna said that for meditation one should sit on a seat
covered with kush grass. The Garuda Purana also described the importance of
kush grass in rituals of Panchak death and in cremation of a person whose body
has not been found as in natural calamities, by making an effigy of kush grass
and completing the rituals. Kush grass is
often held in the hands before taking a sankalp.
Kush grass is called Imperata cylindrica Beauv. It is a clean, pure, brittle grass with acrid, cooling,
oleaginous, aphrodisiac and diuretic properties. Kush
sharbat is a drink routinely used by traditional healers of Chattisgarh.
In Riddhi-Siddhi,
Riddhi is knowledge and Siddhi is perfection. An obstacle-free life
(represented by Ganesha) can be attained only when one masters or tames both
knowledge and perfection.
Riddhi and Siddhi
are the two inseparable wives of Lord Ganesha.
Some symbolize
Siddhi as success and Riddhi as prosperity or Riddhi as material abundance and
Siddhi as the intellectual and spiritual prowess or Riddhi as prosperity and
Siddhi as progress. All are dependent on each other.
Ganesha is said
to have two sons, Shubha-Labha. Again the two terms are inseparable from each
other. Both the words are written during Diwali on each account book. Shubha is
auspiciousness and Labha, profit.
Ram Lakshman are
often spoken of as Ram-Lakhan, which signifies that to be in touch with
consciousness (Rama) one has to control the mind with an aim (Mana with a
Lakshya).
Other pairs,
which are inseparable, are the duals of Rama and Sita, Radha and Krishna, Shiva and Parvati, Brahma and Saraswati and
Vishnu and Lakshmi.
In Rama-Sita,
Rama signifies soul consciousness and Sita, the body. It is true for the Krishna and Radha combination. They also signify the dual
character of the nature, feminine and masculine natures.
In Brahma and Saraswati,
Brahma represents creativity or innovations and Saraswati the art of acquiring
pure knowledge. Again both are dependent on each other.
Lakshmi and
Vishnu are again inseparable. Vishnu or Krishna
is the doer and performer. They signify action in the present. Lakshmi signifies
material and spiritual benefits. One can only get the benefits by action in
dharma.
Shiva-Parvati is
other inseparable word used in Vedic literature. The other is Shiva and Shakti.
They represent the true nature of the consciousness, the male and the female
energies; the purusha and the prakriti. In terms of computer language, they
represent the operational and the application software. No computer can run
without both of them. One is knowledge or the information and the other is
energy.
Other uncommon
pairs are Bharata and Shatrughana of Ramayana. Bharata represents bhakti,
devotion and discipline and Shatrughana, victory over the enemy. To win over
the Shatru, one has to become Bharata.
In Mahabharata,
there is the pair of Nakul (being neutral) and Sahdeva (helping every one).
Again they are inseparable. You cannot help unless you are neutral.
The pairs of
modern post Vedic era are Heer-Ranjha; Laila-Majnu, Sheeri-Farhad, Banti and
Babli and Veer-Zara. They all symbolize human love relationship.
