Parvati the Love Goddess: Tales of Marriage and Devotion

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Namaste Nitin G. / Sanjulag,

 

Thank you for the great works! Your site is awesomely fantastic.

 

Jai Ganesa!

Sy

 

==============

 

, sanjulag wrote:

> Hello,

>

> This is the latest put together by me.

>

> =============================================

> Parvati the Love Goddess: Tales of Marriage and Devotion

> =============================================

>

> The Indian tradition is rich with goddesses. So varied are her

> manifestations and names that every village and every scripture,

> every art and artist, create their own unique image of her. While

> sometimes she is a consort, at other times she is a fertility

> goddess; at times she is a benevolent figure yet at others she is

> horrific and malevolent. The tradition is especially replete with

> a number of goddesses who are associated with Shiva. But the one

> that is artistically and lovingly the most celebrated is Parvati.

> Unlike Durga and Kali who assume their own independent religious

> status in the Hindu pantheon and are worshipped and venerated

> ritually, Parvati engages the greater attention of poets and

> painters, musicians and dancers. Numerous are her aspects, varied

> are her persona, multiple are her attributes and many her names.

> Of all the mythic beings in the Hindu pantheon she is perhaps the

> most loved and undoubtedly the most giving of her love. In her we

> have the true celebration of Hindu womanhood. Of unsurpassed

> sensual beauty, her endowment is not merely physical but

> spiritual, not narcissistic but meant as an offering. In her, it

> can be said that we have the grand personification of the Hindu

> expression, as well as the concept of beauty.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/marble/ra97.jpg (Size

> 133 kb)

>

> In classical mythology the raison d'être of Parvati's birth is to

> lure Shiva into marriage and thus into the wider circle of

> married life from which he is aloof as a lone ascetic, living in

> the wilds of the mountains. The goddess represents the

> complementary pole to the ascetic, world-denying tradition in the

> Hindu ethos. In her role as maiden, wife, and later as a mother,

> she extends Shiva's circle of activity into the realm of the

> householder, where his stored-up energy is released in positive

> ways.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/jewelry/ja59.jpg (Size

> 11 kb)

>

> Parvati's name, which means "she who dwells in the mountains" or

> "she who is of the mountain," identify her with mountainous

> regions. She was the daughter of Himavat (Lord of the mountains)

> and his queen Mena. She is usually described as very beautiful.

> She showed a keen interest in Shiva from the outset, repeating

> his name to herself and taking delight in hearing about his

> appearance and deeds. While she is a child a sage comes to her

> house and after examining the marks on her body predicts that she

> will marry a naked yogi. When it becomes clear that she is

> destined to marry Shiva, her parents are usually described as

> feeling honored. Parvati too is delighted.

>

> At some point during Parvati's attempts to attract Shiva's

> attention for the purpose of marriage, the god of love, Kama, is

> sent by the gods to awaken Shiva's lust. When he attracts Shiva's

> attention with sounds and scents of spring, and tries to perturb

> Shiva with his intoxicating weapons, Shiva burns him to ashes

> with the fire from his middle eye. But steadfast in her devotion,

> Parvati persists in her quest to win Shiva as her husband by

> setting out to perform austerities.

>

> One of the most effective ways to achieve what a person wants in

> traditional Hinduism is to perform tapas, "ascetic austerities."

> If one is persistent and heroic enough, one will generate so much

> heat that the gods will be forced to grant the ascetic his or her

> wish in order to save themselves and the world from being

> scorched. Parvati's method of winning Shiva is thus a common

> approach to fulfilling one's desires. It is also appropriate,

> however, in terms of demonstrating to Shiva that she can compete

> with him in his own realm, that she has the inner resources,

> control, and fortitude to cut herself off from the world and

> completely master her physical needs. By performing tapas,

> Parvati abandons the world of the householder and enters the

> realm of the world renouncer, namely Shiva's world. Most versions

> of the myth describe her as outdoing all the great sages in her

> austerities. She performs all the traditional mortifications,

> such as sitting in the midst of four fires in the middle of

> summer, remaining exposed to the elements during the rainy season

> and during the winter, living on leaves or air only, standing on

> one leg for years, and so on. Eventually she accumulates so much

> heat that the gods are made uncomfortable and persuade Shiva to

> grant Parvati's wish, so that she will cease her efforts.

>

> The marriage is duly arranged and elaborately undertaken. Shiva's

> marriage procession, which includes most of the Hindu pantheon,

> is often described at length. A common motif during the marriage

> preparations is Mena's outrage when she actually sees Shiva for

> the first time. She cannot believe that her beautiful daughter is

> about to marry such an outrageous-looking character; in some

> versions, Mena threatens suicide and faints when told that the

> odd-looking figure in the marriage procession is indeed her

> future son-in-law.

>

> After the two are married they depart to Mount Kailasha, Shiva's

> favorite dwelling place, and immerse themselves completely in

> sexual dalliance, which continues uninterruptedly for long

> periods of time. The Love god Kama is resuscitated when Shiva

> embraces Parvati and the sweat from her body mingles with the

> ashes of the burned god.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/batik/bc44.jpg (Size

> 71 kb)

>

> Their lovemaking is so intense that it shakes the cosmos, and the

> gods become frightened. They are frightened at the prospect of

> what a child will be like from the union of two such potent

> deities. They fear the child's extraordinary powers. They thus

> plan to interrupt Shiva and Parvati's lovemaking. Vishnu goes

> with his entourage of gods to Kailasha and waits patiently

> outside the quarters of Shiva. Many years passed and yet Shiva

> remained closeted with Parvati. Vishnu spoke in a shrill and

> plaintive voice and entreated Shiva to come out and listen to

> their problem. When Shiva disregarded this, Agni (Fire) disguised

> himself as a pigeon and entered the bedchamber of Shiva. Parvati

> immediately sensed that her privacy was violated. Shiva withdrew

> and a drop of his semen fell on the ground. Agni in the form of

> the dove ate the drop of semen. Parvati however was disturbed and

> angry that the gods had assembled and interrupted her erotic

> pleasures, and cursed them that all their wives would be barren.

> She was particularly enraged at Agni for having eaten the seed of

> Shiva.

>

> When Agni was unable to bear the fiery seed he went to the banks

> of the Ganga. At that moment, the wives of the seven sages had

> come down to bathe. Six of the wives felt cold and went towards

> Agni. Agni dropped the seed and the seed entered the wives and

> they became pregnant. When the sages found this out they

> admonished their wives who placed the embryo on one of the peaks

> of the Himalayas. Thus was born Kartikeya, a lustrous child with

> six heads. Shiva and Parvati were delighted at the birth of their

> son and it added much joy to Parvati who had longed for a child.

> We are sometimes told that her breasts oozed milk in affection

> when she first saw the child.

>

> Parvati's maternal instincts were indeed the most powerful

> emotions in her life. While Shiva exulted in his romantic

> dalliance with her, the true mother in her longed for a child.

> She would entreat Shiva to beget her a son and make her a mother

> but the ascetic Shiva would hear nothing of it. She reminded

> Shiva that no ancestral rituals are performed for a man who has

> no descendants. Shiva assured her that he had no desire to be a

> grahastha, householder, for such a state in life brings fetters.

> Parvati was disheartened and seeing her in that state Shiva

> pulled a thread out of her red dress and made a son and gave it

> to her. Parvati held him to her breast and he came to life. As he

> sucked on her milk he smiled and Parvati, pleased, gave the son

> to Shiva. Shiva was surprised that Parvati had breathed life in a

> child made of fabric but warned that the planet Saturn would

> prove inauspicious for this child and as he spoke those words,

> the child's head fell to the ground. Parvati was overcome with

> grief. Shiva tried unsuccessfully to put the head back together.

> A voice in the sky said that only the head of someone facing

> north would stick to this child. Shiva deputed Nandi to find such

> a person. Nandi soon found Indra's elephant Airavat lying with

> his head facing north and began to cut it. Indra intervened but

> Nandi was eventually successful, although in the struggle one of

> the tusks of the elephant was broken. Nandi took the head to

> Shiva and thus was born Ganesha. The gods celebrated the birth

> and Parvati was pleased.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/zc05.jpg

> (Size 90 kb)

>

> In a strange myth it is stated that Parvati had a third child,

> Andhaka, and an interesting legend is narrated behind his birth.

> In jest Parvati closed Shiva's eyes with her delicate hands and

> at once a darkness engulfed the world. The hands of the goddess

> were drenched in Shiva's fluid born of passion, and when this was

> heated by the heat of Shiva's third eye it grew into a horrific

> child, blind and gruesome. But Parvati, true to her nature,

> lovingly cared for this child as well. But as Andhaka grew, he

> became a demon lusting for his own mother, and was eventually put

> to death by Shiva.

>

> For the most part Shiva and Parvati's married and family life is

> portrayed as harmonious, blissful and calm. In iconography the

> two are typically shown sitting in happy, intimate embrace. There

> were also many moments of philosophical discourse between the

> two. While Shiva taught Parvati the doctrine of Vedanta, Parvati

> responded by teaching him the doctrines of Sankhya, for if Shiva

> was the perfect teacher, Parvati too, as a yogini was no less.

> Parvati was constantly by Shiva's side, encouraging, assisting

> and, participating in every activity of his.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hindu/ha57.jpg (Size

> 69 kb)

>

> An important part of Shiva's daily routine was the preparation of

> bhang, his favorite intoxicant. Parvati would lovingly collect

> the best bhang leaves, crush them and then filter the decoction

> through a clean muslin cloth. At other times Parvati would help

> Shiva make a quilt that would keep them warm in the cold nights

> at Kailasha. At yet other times she would sit by his feet

> massaging them while Shiva reclined under a tree. Parvati's

> greatest pleasure was to serve Shiva and cater to his every need.

> Nothing was more important to her than being useful to her lord,

> tending to his every comfort and ensuring that he would not lapse

> into his solitary, self-denying ascetic ways. In these activities

> she combined the roles of a caring wife and an affectionate

> mother.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hindu/ha33.jpg (Size

> 78 kb)

>

> But Shiva and Parvati do argue and insult each other from time to

> time. Bengali accounts of Shiva and Parvati often describe Shiva

> as an irresponsible, hemp-smoking husband who cannot look after

> himself. Parvati is portrayed as the long-suffering wife who

> often complains from time to time to her mother but who always

> remains steadfast to her husband.

>

> But Shiva too was passionate in his love for Parvati. Of the many

> games they played the one of great significance was the game of

> dice. Once it so happened that Parvati was initially losing to

> Shiva, but then gradually the tables turned and Shiva lost

> everything he had staked in the game, including the crescent

> moon, his necklace and earrings. When Parvati demanded that Shiva

> give everything he had staked, there was a fight between the two,

> much to the anguish of their attendants. Parvati removed Shiva's

> snake, the crescent moon and even his loincloth. The onlookers

> were put to shame and Shiva too was enraged and opened his third

> eye. Following this incident, the two separated. Shiva retreated

> into the wilderness and Parvati into her quarters. But she was

> tormented by this separation and at the bidding of her companions

> went in search of Shiva. She took the form of a shabari, a tribal

> woman, and approached Shiva who was deep in meditation. Shiva was

> attracted towards the shabari but when he realized that she was

> none other than Parvati, he realized his mistake and united with

> her much to their joy.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hindu/ha52.jpg (Size

> 52 kb)

>

> On another occasion, Parvati feels pique when Shiva calls her by

> the nickname Kali (blackie), which Parvati takes as a slur on her

> appearance. She resolves to rid herself of her dark complexion

> and does so by performing austerities. Having assumed a golden

> complexion, she then becomes known by the name Gauri (the bright

> or golden one). In some versions of the myth, her discarded, dark

> complexion or sheath gives birth to or becomes a warrior goddess

> who undertakes heroic feats or combat against demons.

>

> The presence of an alter ego or a dark, violent side to Parvati

> is suggested in several myths in which demons threaten the cosmos

> and Parvati is asked to help the gods by defeating the demon in

> question. Typically, when Parvati grows angry at the prospect of

> war, a violent goddess is born from her wrath and proceeds to

> fight on Parvati's behalf. This deity is often identified as the

> bloodthirsty goddess Kali. For the most part, however, the myths

> emphasize Parvati's milder side. So out of character is Parvati

> on the battlefield that another goddess, it seems, must be

> summoned to embody her wrath and dissociate this fury from

> Parvati herself.

>

> The main theme of the Parvati cycle of myths is clear. The

> association between Parvati and Shiva represents the perennial

> tension in Hinduism between the ascetic ideal and householder

> ideal. Parvati, for the most part, represents the householder.

> Her mission is to lure Shiva into the world of marriage, sex, and

> children, to tempt him away from asceticism, yoga, and

> otherwordly preoccupations. In this role Parvati is cast as a

> figure who upholds the order of dharma, who enhances life in the

> world, who represents the beauty and attraction of worldly,

> sexual life, who cherishes the house and society rather than the

> forest, the mountains, or the ascetic life. Parvati civilizes

> Shiva with her presence; indeed, she domesticates him. Of her

> role in relation to Shiva in the hymns of Manikkavacakar, a

> ninth-century poet-saint from South India, it has been said:

> "Shiva, the great unpredictable 'madman', is rendered momentarily

> sane (i.e. behaves in a socially acceptable manner) when in the

> company of the goddess. . . Contact with his properly cultured

> spouse seems to connect him with ordinary social reality and

> temporarily domesticates him."

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/batik/bc78.jpg (Size

> 102 kb)

>

> Throughout Hindu mythology it is well known that one of Shiva's

> principal functions is the destruction of cosmos. In fact, Shiva

> has about him a wild, unpredictable, destructive aspect that is

> often mentioned. As the great cosmic dancer, he periodically

> performs the tandava, an especially violent dance. Wielding a

> broken battle-ax, he dances so wildly that the cosmos is

> destroyed completely. In descriptions of this dance, Shiva's

> whirling arms and flying locks are said to crash into the

> heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them

> utterly. The mountains shake and the oceans heave as the world is

> destroyed by his violent dancing. Parvati, in contrast, is

> portrayed as a patient builder, one who follows Shiva about,

> trying to soften the violent effects of her husband. She is a

> great force for preservation and reconstruction in the world and

> as such offsets the violence of Shiva. A seventeenth century

> Tamil work pictures Parvati as a patient child who creates the

> worlds in the form of little houses. Shiva is pictured as

> constantly frustrating her purpose by destroying what she has so

> carefully built.

>

> The crazy old madman stands in front,

> Dancing, destroying the beautiful little house that

> You have built in play.

> You don't become angry, but every time (he destroys

> It) you build it again.

>

> When Shiva does his violent tandava dance, Parvati is described

> as calming him with soft glances, or she is said to complement

> his violence with a slow, creative step of her own.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/zf26

> (Size 49 kb)

>

> Parvati's goal in her relationship with Shiva is nothing less

> than the domestication of the lone, ascetic god whose behavior

> borders on madness. Shiva is indifferent to social propriety,

> does not care about offspring, declares woman to be a hindrance

> to the spiritual life, and is disdainful of the trappings of the

> householder's life. Parvati tries to involve him in the worldly

> life of the householder by arguing that he should observe

> conventions if he loves her and wants her. She persuades him, for

> example, to marry her according to the proper rituals, to observe

> custom, instead of simply running off with her. She is less

> successful, however, in getting him to change his attire and

> ascetic habits. She often complains of his nakedness and finds

> his ornaments disgraceful. Usually prompted by her mother,

> Parvati sometimes complains that she does not have a proper house

> to live in. Shiva, as is well known, does not have a house but

> prefers to live in caves, on mountains, or in forests or to

> wander the world as a homeless beggar. Many myths delight in

> Shiva's response to Parvati's domestic pleas for a house. When

> she complains that the rains will soon come and that she has no

> house to protect her, Shiva simply takes her to the high mountain

> peaks above the clouds where it does not rain. Elsewhere, he

> describes his "house" as the universe and argues that an ascetic

> understands the whole world to be his dwelling place. These

> philosophic arguments never satisfy Parvati, but she rarely, if

> ever, wins this argument and gains a house.

>

> Shiva is a god of excesses, both ascetic and sexual, and Parvati

> plays the role of modifier. As a representative of the

> householder ideal, she represents the ideal of controlled sex,

> namely, married sex, which is opposed to both asceticism and

> eroticism.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/panels/wa38.jpg (Size

> 139 kb)

>

> The theme of conflict, tension, or opposition between the way of

> the ascetic and the way of the householder in the mythology of

> Parvati and Shiva yields to a vision of reconciliation,

> interdependence, and symbiotic harmony in a series of images that

> combine the two deities. Three such images or themes are central

> to the mythology, iconography, and philosophy of Parvati:

>

> 1). The theme of Shiva-Shakti,

>

> 2). The image of Shiva as Ardhanareshwara (the Lord who is half

> woman), and

>

> 3). The image of the linga and yoni.

>

> Shiva Shakti:

>

> The idea that the great male gods all possess an inherent power

> through which they undertake creative activity is assumed in

> Hindu philosophical thought. When this power, or Shakti, is

> personified, it is always in the form of a goddess. Parvati,

> quite naturally, assumes the identity of Shiva's Shakti. She is

> the force underlying and impelling creation. In this active,

> creative role she is identified with prakriti (nature), whereas

> Shiva is identified with purusha (pure spirit). As prakriti,

> Parvati represents the inherent tendency of nature to express

> itself in concrete forms and individual beings. In this task,

> however, it is understood that Parvati must be set in motion by

> Shiva himself. She is not seen as antagonistic to him. Her role

> as his Shakti is always interpreted as positive. Through Parvati,

> Shiva (the Absolute) is able to express himself in the creation.

> Without her he would remain inert, aloof, inactive. It is only in

> association with her that Shiva is able to realize or manifest

> his full potential. Parvati as Shakti not only complements Shiva,

> she completes him.

>

> A variety of images and metaphors are used to express this

> harmonious interdependence. Shiva is said to be the male

> principle throughout creation, Parvati the female principle;

> Shiva is the sky, Parvati the earth; Shiva is subject, Parvati

> object; Shiva is the ocean, Parvati the seashore; Shiva is the

> sun, Parvati its light; Parvati is all tastes and smells, Shiva

> the enjoyer of all tastes and smells; Parvati is the embodiment

> of all individual souls, Shiva the soul itself; Parvati assumes

> every form that is worthy to be thought of, Shiva thinks of all

> such forms; Shiva is day, Parvati is night; Parvati is creation,

> Shiva the creator; Parvati is speech, Shiva meaning; and so on.

> In short, the two are actually one-different aspects of ultimate

> reality-and as such are complementary, and not antagonistic.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/brass/zf63.jpg

> (Size 44 kb)

>

> Ardhanareshwara:

>

> The meaning of Ardhanareshwara form of Shiva is similar. The

> image shows a half-male, half-female figure. The right side is

> Shiva and is adorned with his ornaments; the left side is Parvati

> and adorned with her ornaments.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/zc10.jpg

> (Size 60 kb)

>

> In the text of Shiva-Purana it is mentioned that the god Brahma

> is unable to continue his task of creation because the creatures

> that he has produced do not multiply. He propitiates Shiva and

> requests him to come to his aid. Shiva then appears in his

> half-male, half-female form. The hermaphrodite form splits into

> Shiva and Parvati, and Parvati, at Brahma's request, pervades the

> creation with her female nature, which duly awakens the male

> aspect of creation into fertile activity.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hindu/ha13.jpg (Size

> 63 kb)

>

> Without its female half, or female nature, the godhead as Shiva

> is incomplete and is unable to proceed with creation. To an even

> greater extent than the Shiva-shakti idea, the androgynous image

> of Shiva and Parvati emphasizes that the two deities are

> absolutely necessary to each other, and only in union can they

> satisfy each other and fulfill themselves. In this form the

> godhead transcends sexual particularity. God is both male and

> female, both father and mother, both aloof and active, both

> fearsome and gentle, both destructive and constructive, and so

> on.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/brass/zi58.jpg

> (Size 68 kb)

>

> Linga and Yoni:

>

> The image of the linga in the yoni, which is the most common

> image of the deity in Shiva temples, similarly teaches the lesson

> that the tension between Shiva and Parvati is ultimately resolved

> in interdependence. Parvati as a sexual entity succeeds in

> tempering both Shiva's excessive detachment from the world and

> his excessive sexual vigor. In the form of the yoni in

> particular, Parvati fulfills and completes Shiva's creative

> tendencies. As the great yogi who accumulates immense sexual

> potency, he is symbolized by the linga. This great potency is

> creatively released in sexual or marital contact with Parvati.

> The ubiquitous image of the linga in the yoni symbolizes the

> creative release in the ultimate erotic act of power stored

> through asceticism. The erotic act is thus enhanced, made more

> potent, fecund, and creative, by the stored up power of Shiva's

> asceticism.

>

> Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/za93.jpg

> (Size 49 kb)

>

> Though most arts give Parvati a religious aura, including a

> certain poetic truth, there is also an expression of both the

> romantic and motherly love of Parvati. Possessing a measured

> grace and refinement about them, these representations have a

> certain earthy charm and spontaneity. In her this form, Parvati

> is not only more endearing and accessible, but also belongs to

> the shrine or the walls of the home. These are not mere icons or

> visual poetry, but mythic beings reduced to everyday reality.

> This real Parvati is the one that the common man can relate to,

> worship and celebrate, in his or her own personal way.

>

> ---------------------------

> To view the illustrations along with the text, you can read the

> HTML version of the article at

> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/parvati.htm

>

> Nitin G.

>

> (This article was sent as a newsletter from the website:

> http://www.exoticindiaart.com )

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sy,

 

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Warmly,

 

Nitin G.

http://www.exoticindiaart.com

 

 

--- SY Zenith <syzenith wrote:

> Namaste Nitin G. / Sanjulag,

>

> Thank you for the great works! Your site is

> awesomely fantastic.

>

> Jai Ganesa!

> Sy

>

> ==============

>

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste Nitin G.

 

Hope you will continue to post on this List from time to time. Your

works are adored by many.

 

Warmest regards,

Sy

 

==================

 

, G Sanjula <sanjulag> wrote:

> Namaste Sy,

>

> Glad you enjoyed it.

>

> Warmly,

>

> Nitin G.

> http://www.exoticindiaart.com

>

>

> --- SY Zenith <syzenith> wrote:

> > Namaste Nitin G. / Sanjulag,

> >

> > Thank you for the great works! Your site is

> > awesomely fantastic.

> >

> > Jai Ganesa!

> > Sy