PARVATI. Wife of Siva. ParvatI is known under different names and worshipped in different forms. Amarakosa (Sanskrit lexicon) gives the following synonyms for ParvatI : Uma, Katyayani, Gauri, Kali, Haimavati, Isvari, Siva, Bhavani, Rudranl, Sarvani, Sarvamangala, Aparna, Durga, Mrdani, Candika, Ambika, Arya, paksayani, Girija, Menakatmaja, Camunda, Karnamoti, Carccika, Bhairavi. Some of these names refer to the various dispositions of ParvatI, while a few are the names in the various incarnations of ParvatI. The origin of ParvatI and her other prominent births are given below : 1) Incarnation of Sati. Siva was born from Brahma. To make Siva active, Sati, an aspect of Mahamaya, was born as the daughter of Daksa, one of the Prajapatis. The 9th Skandha of Devi Bhagavata gives the following story about the incarnation of Sati : While Brahma was engaged in creation a few daityas named Halahalas were born. They were very valiant and ferocious and they did penance to propitiate Brahma and after obtaining boons from him conquered the three worlds and asserted their supremacy in all the three worlds. They defied the Trimurtis( trio of Brahma. Visnu and Siva). Siva and Visnu in despair went to war against them. The war continued for sixty thousand years and both the daityas and Devas were exhausted. Visnu and Siva refused to attend to their duties. Brahma understood the situation and taking into his hands the work of Siva and Visnu also and calling his sons, Sanaka and others to his side said Oh sons, Siva and Visnu are incapable of doing their work now. I have therefore, taken on myself the charge of their duties also and hence I do not find time to do penance. You must therefore, do penance to propitiate Mahamaya. Let her be pleased and when she incarnates in this universe the world will be happy. As soon as they heard this the Prajapatis headed by Daksa went to the forests on the side of the Himalayas. They started doing penance reciting the mantra of Mayablja. The penance lasted for a hundred thousand years and then the goddess was pleased. She graciously appeared before them with three eyes and four hands bearing paa, aukusa, vara and abhiti. Daksa and pthers praised her and she granted them boons. She did also promise to be born as the daughter of Daksa. Daksa and others returned happy. Mahamaya incarnated as Sati in the house of Daksa. Sati blossomed into a beautiful maiden and all the Prajapatis joined together and made Siva marry her. The bride and bridegroom lived in the brides house. At that time the sage Durvasas worshipped Jagadambika seated at Jambunada meditating on her and reciting the mayabija mantra. The devi was immensely pleased and appearing before him gave him the divine garland lying round her neck. The garland was highly perfumed. Honey flowed from it always. Wearing that garland the sage travelled through air and reached the palace of Daksa, father of Sati, and gave that garland to him. Daksa received it with great delight and took it to his bed-room and placed it there. That night Daksa inhaled the perfume of the divine garland and enjoyed an amorous sport with his wife. This act made the garland impure and the latent curse in it made Daksa hate his daughter Sati and her husband Siva. After that Daksa conducted a Yaga and insulted Siva by not inviting either him or his wife. Sati, however, attended the Yaga uninvited and she was insulted. Unable to bear the insult Sati leapt into the fire and committed suicide. From that day onwards Siva roamed about in the world crying Sati, Sati. 2 ) Sati, Pdrvati (Kali] . During that time a son named Vajranga was born to Kasyapa of his wife Dili. This virtuous asura practised austerities for a thousand years and when he opened his eyes after his long penance he did not see his wife. Vajranga started in search of her collecting fruits and roots for his food on the way. Then he came across her standing underneath a tree weeping and she said : All the time you were doing penance, Indra was teasing me. I was living without food on the banks of the river keeping a vow of silence. Indra came there in the form of a monkey and threw away all my articles used for worship. Then he came in the form of a lion and frightened me. Then again he came in the form of a serpent and bit me. Oh lord, am I, your wife, an orphan ? Vajranga got angry and decided to do penance again to find a remedy for this unjust act of Indra. Then Brahma coming to know of the fierce decision of Vajranga appeared before him and said Why do you go in for a penance again? Ask me what you want and I shall grant you. Vajranga said Oh Lord, I did penance all these thousand years to get rid of the demoniac disposition of mine. But when I was engaged in meditation Indra tormented my virtuous wife very much without any reason. If you will bless me I must get a son named Taraka to kill all the devas including Indra. Brahma granted the boon. VarangI became pregnant and after twelve months was born a son to her named Tarakasura. Taraka did severe penance sitting in the midst of Pancagni (five fires) for a long time and Brahma was pleased and appeared before him. Taraka then said : If I were to die I must die at the hands of a seven-day-old babe. You must grant me a boon like that. Brahma granted the boon. Taraka became arrogant with that boon and joined hands with such fierce demons as Prasena, Jambha and Kalanemi to create havoc in the three worlds of Svarga, PARVATl 577 PARVATl Bhumi and Patala. They blessed the wicked and killed the virtuous. It was the time when Siva was sadly roaming about in search of his lost wife Sati. All the devas headed by Indra went and complained to Brahma. Brahma said: After all, this calamity is not without remedy. There is an escape from the boon I have given him. Tarakasura himself has allowed him to be killed by a sevenday-old babe. If there should be such a babe it should be from the virility of Siva. Tarakasura thinks that since Siva is observing brahmacarya after the death of Sati there is no chance of a babe being born to him. That was why he was prepared to allow that clause in that boon. I shall therefore suggest a plan. Sati herself should be born as the daughter of Himavan and Mena in the name of Kali. Kali should do great penance and break the vow of celibacy of Siva. If Siva accepts her as his wife and a child is born to them we are saved. Siva was all this time spending his time thinking of Sati. Once during this time Siva bathed in the river Kalindi and then the waters of the river Kalindi became black and the waters remained black ever since that.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 06:18:16 +0000
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