Pārvatī Janana
Pārvatī is the daughter of Himavat, king of the Himālaya, and his wife Menā. The Matsya Purāṇa tells of her birth in Chapter 153. She was born so that she could become the wife of Bhagavān Śiva, and so that their son Kumāra could kill the asura Tārakāsura. The account goes on through Chapters 154 to 157, which tell of her tapas, her golden form, and the birth of Kumāra.
The plan of Brahmā
Tārakāsura had won the three worlds. He held a vara (a boon) that only a son of Bhagavān Śiva could kill him. The devas had no way to turn. Brahmā understood the situation fully and made a plan. He called on Vibhāvarī, the devī of night, to help. Through her he arranged that the great Devī Śakti would be born in the world as the daughter of Himavat, king of the Himālaya, and his wife Menā.
The child would grow up as the most beautiful being in all the worlds. Through the power of her devotion to Bhagavān Śiva she would in time win him as her husband. From their union would come the divine son who would end the rule of Tārakāsura. This is Chapter 153.
The birth of Pārvatī
In time a daughter of great radiance and beauty was born to Himavat and Menā in their mountain kingdom. The infant shone like ten thousand moons together. Even at birth the marks on her body were very auspicious. They were the marks of rule, of the favour of the devas, and of the high destiny that waited for her.
The mountains of the Himālaya trembled with joy. Flowers fell from the sky, the gandharvas sang and the apsarases danced. The ṛshis in the nearby āśramas came out to see the wonderful birth. Himavat and Menā were full of joy and named their daughter Pārvatī, the daughter of the parvata (mountain). She is also called Girijā (mountain-born), Himavat-sutā (daughter of Himavat) and Śailaputrī. This is Chapter 153.
Nārada’s visit
The ṛshi Nārada, who knows the three times (past, present and future), came to the court of Himavat. He was received with full honour: arghya (water of welcome), pādya (water for the feet) and the best seat. Himavat asked him to read the marks on the infant Pārvatī. Nārada looked at her closely, and his face showed wonder and seriousness. He said:
“This daughter of yours, O Himavat, is no ordinary being. The marks on her body show that her husband will be eternal, undying and highest among all beings. He is the great Īśvara, Bhagavān Śiva, the three-eyed one, who wears the crescent moon and who destroyed Tripura. She will become his wife. A son will be born through her who will lead the armies of the devas to victory. Protect her, honour her, and be ready for the day when Bhagavān Śiva himself comes to claim her.”
Himavat and Menā heard this with awe, both glad and anxious. To give their daughter to the great ascetic of Kailāsa was a hard thing to think of. Yet they took Nārada’s words as the word of dharma. This is Chapter 153.
Manmatha’s task and Śiva’s anger
For the plan to go forward, Bhagavān Śiva had to become aware of desire. He sat in deep yoga on Kailāsa. Brahmā, with the consent of Indra and the devas, sent Manmatha (Kāmadeva, the deva of love) to Kailāsa. Manmatha carried his flower-bow and five flower-arrows. His task was to shoot an arrow of desire at Bhagavān Śiva during his meditation.
Manmatha went to Kailāsa with his wife Rati and his companion Vasanta (Spring). He found Bhagavān Śiva deep in samādhi, his body still as the Himālaya, his third eye closed, and silence all around. Manmatha drew his flower-bow and shot the arrow of desire at the meditating Bhagavān Śiva.
At that moment Bhagavān Śiva felt a disturbance in his deep stillness, a flicker of awareness that something had been aimed at him. His third eye opened a little. In that moment a blaze of fire came out of the third eye and struck Manmatha and burned him up. He was turned to ash in an instant. Rati, his wife, cried out in terrible grief. Kāmadeva had been burned by the very Bhagavān Śiva he had been sent to disturb. From then on he is Anaṅga, the Bodiless one, present as a force without a body. Bhagavān Śiva’s meditation was restored and he stayed in stillness. This is Chapter 153.
Śiva’s words and Pārvatī’s departure
Pārvatī, drawn by Brahmā’s plan and by her own devotion, came into the presence of Bhagavān Śiva and began to serve him. Bhagavān Śiva knew well who she was, but he chose to test her resolve. He looked at her as if he did not care, and made a sharp remark about her dark skin. At this time Pārvatī had been born dark or dusky (Kālī-varṇa). He called her Kālī. He said that a person of such dark skin should take up tapas rather than hope for love. He said he had no need of a dark-skinned wife.
Pārvatī was stung by these words. She knew they were meant to test her, but her pride was hurt. She left his presence with a vow: she would do such tapas that even Bhagavān Śiva would have to accept her on her own terms. She went into the deep forests of the Himālaya to begin her own austerities. This is Chapter 154.
The Ādi-dānava in Pārvatī’s form
While she was away, the Ādi-dānava, a son of Andhaka, learned that Pārvatī was no longer at the side of Bhagavān Śiva and saw his chance. Using māyā (illusion), he took the exact form of Pārvatī and entered the home of Bhagavān Śiva. Bhagavān Śiva sees everything, and he knew the trick at once. He killed the dānava immediately.
In the confusion that followed, Pārvatī arrived and misread what had happened. She blamed Vīraka, the doorkeeper of Bhagavān Śiva, for letting the dānava in. She laid a śāpa (a curse) on Vīraka. This is Chapter 155.
Pārvatī’s tapas and the Gaura form
Pārvatī did very hard tapas in the Himālaya. She stood on one foot, fasted through the seasons, bore the extremes of heat and cold, and kept her body and mind perfectly still for very long periods. By the power of her tapas she lost her dark skin. The dark skin fell away as a separate being, the dark devī Kālikā. Pārvatī rose with a golden skin, as lovely as refined gold and as bright as the morning sun. By the grace of Brahmā and the fire of her own tapas she became Gaurī, the golden-fair one, the bright one.
Now shining in this new form, Pārvatī was formally accepted by Bhagavān Śiva. Their divine marriage was celebrated in all the worlds. This is Chapter 156.
The birth of Kumāra
From the union of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī the divine seed was set free. It was so strong that nothing in the world could hold it without pain. Agni, who was there, carried it first. But even Agni could not hold the tejas (fiery power) of Bhagavān Śiva’s śukra (seed) without being scorched. He took it to the holy river Gaṅgā, who carried it in her waters. Gaṅgā placed the seed in the śaravana, the thicket of reeds on her banks.
From the śaravana came the infant Kumāra. He was blazing with light, with six faces (Shaṇmukha) and twelve arms bearing divine weapons that came with him. The six Kṛttikā stars (the Pleiades) came down from the sky as six mothers and fed the infant at the same time, each at a separate face. This is how he got the name Kārttikeya.
The devas had waited for this birth with great urgency. They now came with joy to see the Devasenāpati (commander of the army of the devas). Brahmā and Indra performed the formal abhisheka (consecration) of Kumāra as commander-in-chief of the armies of the devas. Indra gave his own daughter Devasenā to Kumāra in marriage. From this point Kumāra could fulfil his task of killing Tārakāsura. This is Chapter 157.
Sources
- Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 153: the plan of Brahmā, Pārvatī’s birth, Nārada’s words, Manmatha burned
- Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 154: Bhagavān Śiva’s words to Pārvatī and her departure for tapas
- Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 155: the Ādi-dānava in Pārvatī’s form
- Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 156: Pārvatī’s golden form and the marriage
- Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 157: the birth of Kumāra