Uma-Parvati

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Namaste Alexandra,

 

This is from: http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/goddess/uma.html

 

The Goddess Uma, (Ambika, Annapurna, Bhairavi, Candi, Gauri, Durga,

Jagadmatai=Mother of the world, Kali, Kanyakumari, Kumari, Mahadevi,

Parvati, Syama) or Shiva's consort, she is usually represented at his

side in Indian sculpture. At Koh Ker, a short-lived royal capital

established from 921 to 944 A.D in Cambodia, and in Nepal, she seen

as a divinity in her own right. She is often described by texts and

sculptures as the ferocious Durga, typically characterized by twelve

weapons:

 

Sword (Khadga)

Trident (Trishula)

Thunderdisc (Chakra)

Arrow (Tir)

Javelin (Bharji)

Club (Khitaka)

Bow (Dhanush)

Noose (Pasha)

Goad (Ankush)

Shield (Sipar)

Axe (Parashu)

 

Goddess Uma is glorified in Indian literature and sculptures as being

beautiful, as a mediator in the conflicts of heaven, as a daughter of

Himavat, the God of the Great Himalayan Mountains and the heavenly

nymph Mena, also as a sister of the sacred river Ganga (the Ganges).

 

Sati and Uma

 

Although Shiva is worshipped as the ruler of the Three Worlds, his

power, or Sahkti, is represented by his wife, the Devi (Goddess).

Shiva married Sati against the wishes of her father, Daksha. When

Daksha performed a ritual sacrifice invited all the Deva, but not

Shiva. Sati was hurt by the insult to her husband, and when she

questioned her father, received only harsh words. Sati, devastated,

fixed her mind on her Lord, and invoking the Tapas' flames immolated

her body in them.

Sati, in her love and devotion to Shiva, took rebirth as Parvati to

be with Him again.

In other tales it is said that Uma Haimavati (uma = light), looking

at Shiva in despair for Sati's death, took pity on His endless grief

and revealed herself as Parvati, to comfort Him.

 

Uma - The Golden Goddess

 

Once a rishi was imparting to his student's spiritual knowledge. When

a lesson was over, the students were free to ask questions on the

day's lesson. One day the students asked: "Sir, who makes the mind

desire? Who makes the eyes to see, the ears hear and the tongue

speak?"

 

The rishi said: "The One Great God causes all these things. He is

everywhere. He is the source of all things. He who understands this

truth becomes immortal." But the students said they did not

understand him. So the rishi told them a story.

 

Once the Devas won a battle against the Asuras. The Devas, however,

did not realise that it was the Great God who made them win. The

Devas thought they won the war by their own strength and in their

ignorance they became proud of what they had achieved. The Supreme

God or Brahman wanted to cure them of their pride, so he suddenly

appeared before them. The Devas could not say who it was, all that

they could know was that it was a wonderful Being, so they decided to

find out who it was.

 

First they sent Agni, the God of fire, to find out whom it was. When

Agni went to the Strange Being, the latter asked, "Who are you?" Agni

replied: "I am Agni, the powerful. I can burn anything in this or

other worlds. I know everything!" The Supreme Being said: "Oh! Is

that the fact? Look, here is a blade of grass. Burn it, if you

can!Pooh!" said Agni and rushed upon the blade of grass. Try

however much he did, he could not even touch the edge of the grass.

Ashamed of his failure, he returned to the Devas and admitted his

defeat.

 

The Devas next sent Vayu, the wind good, to find out whom that

Strange Being was. "Who are you?" asked the Being. "I am Vayu, the

great. I can sweep away anything in this world with my power.Can

you really," said the Being. "Please sweep away this blade of grass.

Vayu rushed at it, but the straw did not move an inch. Vayu too

returned to the Devas and reported his failure.

 

Then the Devas sent Indra, their King, to the Strange Being. When

Indra went, the Strange Being was no longer to be seen, but in its

place stood a charming woman. She was Uma, the Goddess of spiritual

knowledge. Indra asked Uma: "Great Lady! Who was that Strange Being

that was here!" Uma replied: "Fool! It was Brahman, the Supreme

Being. It was he that won the battle against the Asuras for you. Not

knowing it, you bragged amongst yourselves. He came here to teach you

how worthless your powers are without His grace, and to cure you of

your pride!"

 

On hearing this, Indra went back and reported this matter to the

Devas. Then the Devas realised their mistake and begged to be

forgiven. Later, they learnt the sacred knowledge about God, in

humility.

 

The rishi said finally: "This knowledge comes in a flash. We must

pursue and develop it further. That is our object in life; for, God

is Truth. All knowledge is His limbs. Penance and doing good to

others are the means of furthering that knowledge."

 

This story occurs in the great Upanishad called Kena.

 

***********************

, "Alexandra Kafka"

<alexandra.kafka@a...> wrote:

> I am in serach for information about Devi in Her aspect as Uma-

Parvati. Where would I find the most detailed description of Her and

Her stories?

> Does someone know the Parvati Gita? I think it is part of the

Mahabharata. Has someone read it? What is the content of the Parvati

Gita? Is it in print somewhere?