Later, I found myself repeatedly trying to wash and peel away stubborn, dark mask-like patches from my face. I woke feeling deeply still, yet conscious of a heavy, solid stiffness in my chest.
Krishna and Shiva are two aspects of One Divine Truth. One opens the path through the world; the other by renouncing the world.
The proposal for marriage is the path through the worldly life. The other choice is to take be in the world but inwardly renouncing it. In the dream, you seem to be still in some kind of conflict, possibly fear of emotions that life in the world brings out. That is what the tightness in the chest means: a blocking of the energies of love.
Hope it is clear.
Affectionately,
Alok da
