Parvati:
a Hindu mother and fertility
goddess, the wife of Shiva. She
is thought of as the model Hindu wife and is often depicted
with a conch, mirror, and lotus.
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World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)
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Consort
of Lord Shiva. By rigorous penance she won over Shiva, himself
a great ascetic. Mother of Shanmukha
and Ganesha. By becoming the wife of Shiva she paved
the way for the spread of peace and felicity in the world.
Goddess
Parvati is the wife of Lord Ishwara. She has several names,
each with a special significance. Since Ishwara or Shiva
is also called 'Bhava' his wife is known as 'Bhavani.' She
is 'Parvati', being the daughter of the king of mountains,
Parvataraja. With the same connotation she has two other
names - 'Girija' and 'Shailaja'. As she is the source of
all good things to all those who have faith and follow the
path of virtue, she is 'Sarvamangala.'
Since
her childhood days she was a devotee of Lord Shiva. She
would constantly engage herself in meditation and worship
of Shiva, without even changing the posture. So her mother
Mena would out of exasperation say "Parvati, don't do this
tapas (meditation)." In Sanskrit ‘u’ is a word of address
and 'ma' means 'don't' or 'not wanted’ Hence she got the
name 'Uma'.
After
she grew up, she performed a severe penance in the forest
with the purpose of securing Lord Shiva as her husband.
Much moved by the hardship endured by her tender body, Mena
frequently went near her fondly calling her "Uma, Uma."
Affection
for and obedience to the elders, loyalty to tradition, determination,
steady devotion to Shiva, kindness towards those in trouble,
perseverant effort till the completion of a good deed; these
are the traits Parvati had.
Her
story is narrated in Sanskrit by Vyasa in the Shiva purana.
The great poet Kalidasa has narrated it in the poem Kumara-Sambhava.
The Kannada poet Harihara has dealt with the story in Girija-Kalyana,
a mixture of verse and prose.
Author
- T.Keshava Bhat http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/parvati/
