38 - Shattering of the Prides of Parvati

Sri Krishna said- You have listened to the episode of the shattering of the pride of Shiva. Now you listen from me to the episode of the shattering of the pride of Durga. 

The goddess who emerged out of the lustre of all the gods took to the form of Mohini once. 

By killing the great demons, she protected the gods. Thereafter she was born out of the womb of the wife of Daksha. 

She then accepted Shiva the holder of bow who always performed the tasks of gods as her husband. Sati continued to serve her husband with devotion. 

At once by a turn of destiny, in the assembly of the gods, Daksha became uselessly inimical to Shiva. 

After returning from the assembly Daksha organised a yajna in which all the gods except Shiva were invited.

All the gods went to the abode of Daksha with their spouses but Shiva together with his attendants did not attend the yajna because of anger and pride. 

Sati tried to convince Shiva of participating in the yajna due to the illusion, but she could not persuade him to go there. Thereafter she herself went there.

She went to the place of Daksha of her own sweet will without the permission of Shiva and the pride of Sati was shattered because of the curse. On her arrival in the hose of her father. Daksha did not welcome her. He did not welcome her even with of a few words. Then hearing the denouncement of her husband, she ended her life there. 

О my beloved thus the pride of Sati, was shattered by me. How I tell you the story as to how her pride after having been born as Parvati was shattered. You listen to me. 

After ending her life as Sati, she was born from the womb of Mena, the wife of Himavan. Shiva on the other hand infatuated with the love of Sati plastered the ashes of her pyre on his body. 

He made a garland of her bones and wore it round his neck, the ashes of her body served as a decoration of the body of Shiva. He. reciting the name of Sati started roaming about everywhere.

On the other hand, Mena gave birth to a beautiful goddess, the comparison of whom could not be found in the creation of Brahma. 

She was the mother of all the virtues and possessed all the virtues in her. All the spouses of the gods could not be compared even to the one sixteenth part of her beauty. As the moon goes on increasing in the bright fortnight similarly the goddess started growing in the house of Himalaya day by day. When she achieved the youthful age, there was a divine voice from the sky with spoke addressing her, "O Shiva you achieve Shiva by performing great tapas because without performing tapas it would be difficult for you to achieve him and to conceived from him". On hearing the divine voice, Parvati was filled with pride of her youthfulness laughed and then kept quiet. She started thinking within herself that the one who has applied ashes of her body on his is body and is also adorning his body with the garland her my bones why should he not accept me on her becoming an adult. 

The one who in spite of being so intelligent went on roaming about the universe because of the grief stricken-heart why should he not own her, because she is so beautiful at present.

The compassionate one who destroyed the yajna of Daksha for her sake, why should he not accept her as his wife who has always been adoring her in various births. 

The one who was the husband and the one who was the wife in earlier births how can there be a difference on earth. No one could change the destiny. 

Having been with pride because of her beauty and virtues, Parvati did not performed tapes not did she consider Shiva as a lord. 

She thought, “There was no other lady comparable to me in beauty". Thus, thinking she did not performed tapas. 

She thought that everybody likes to have a damsel who is youthful, beautiful and clad in beautiful garments. Therefore, Shiva would surely accept her as his wife when she performs tapas. Thus thinking, Giraja remaining in the abode of her father Himavan, spent her time with her female friends and did not go for tapas. 

In the meantime, messengers arrived in the assembly of the lord of mountains and spoke in sweet voice. 

The messengers said- О lord of the mountain, you get up and move towards the eternal banyan tree. Lord Shiva mounted on the bull is staying there under the tree with his attendants. 

You go there and adore lord Shiva with devotion. He is the one who has controlled the organs of senses and you offer madhuparka to him. He is the form of siddhis, the lord of siddhis the teacher of yogis, the one who has overcome the death, is the death for the time, has divine lustre, is eternal, the form of great soul, possesses all the virtues and is without virtues also, is all-pervading and has taken to a spotless form of Maheshvara for the sake of his meditating devotees. 

On listening to the words of the messengers, the lord of the mountain was delighted and he reached Shiva carrying madhuparka with him. 

On hearing the words of the messenger, the eyes of goddess Parvati felt delighted. She thought in her mind that the lord had arrived there for her sake only. 

She clads herself in beautiful garments and then adorned herself with the best of gem-studded ornaments and the garland of diamonds. 

She then prepared a garland of Parijata flowers and soaked it with sandal-paste for the sake of Shiva. Finding herself to be extremely charming she sat on the lion throne and looked at her face in the mirror which was adorned with a spot of kasthuri and vermilion. Her eyes appeared like the lotus flowers of the winter season surrounded by the black-wasps creating a hissing sound. 

Both her lips were quite soft and had the redness resulting in the chewing of the betel. They were quite beautiful and looked like the ripe wood-apples. 

As the peacock on Sumeru mountain starts dancing at dawn, similarly the gem-studded kundalas were adorning her ears. 

The beauty of the line of her teeth was beyond description and looked like the jewels during the rainy season. 

Her nose appeared beautiful like the falling of Ganga from the Meru mountain and a beautiful gem adorned it. 

As the new cloud looks beautiful with the line of sky-larks, similarly the garland of jasmine flowers adorned her hair-do. 

The garlands were made of gems and her breast which was painted with the paste of kasthuri and saffron looked quite dazzling. 

Her nipples which were beautifully painted looked like the jujubi fruits. 

she was thin-waisted and looked quite charming. Her navel was deep and shining, the belly was roundish and looked quite beautiful. 

Her thighs resembled the trunks of banana tree and were quite pleasant and thick clad in fine clothes. 

Her feet were quite soft, beautiful and could steal the lustre of the lotus flowers and were adorned with anklets and the red paint appeared on the soles of the feet. 

Her anklets created the sound like the sweet notes issued by the geese. Vishvakarma had made her ornaments with the best of gems. 

They were issuing the lustre of gold and her hands looked quite beautiful. She was adorned with beautiful armlets and wristlets besides the ornaments of conch. 

She held in her hand an attractive mirror of gems and had the finger rings studded with rubies-which was issuing the lustre like the red lotus flower.

Witnessing such a beauty for herself, she devoted her mind to Shiva. She especially meditated upon him to achieve him as her husband. 

At that point of time she did not think of her father, mother, brother, female friends and other relatives. 

Himalaya on the other hand reaching before Shiva looked at him. He was smiling when he reached the bank of the charming Ganga. 

Holding a rosary, he was reciting my name and his head was adorned with matted locks of hair having the complexion of molten gold. He was mounted on a bull, holding a trident in his hand. The Nagas served as his yajnopavita and the lustre of the limbs of bodies resembled the crystal. He was clad in tiger skin and wearing the garland of bones; with ashes all on his body, he looked graceful. He had no garments on his person, was five-faced having three eyes in each one of them, all his limbs emitted the lustre of crores of suns. Himavan found the eleven Rudras surrounding him who were illumining with divine lustre. 

Mahakala was lodged to the left of Shiva while Nandikeshvara was standing to his right, the Pretas, goblins, Pishacas, Kushmanda, Brahmarakshasas, Vetalas, Kshetra-palas the valorous Bhairavas, Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatkumara, Sanatana, Jaigisavya, Devala, Kanada, Gautama, Pippalada, Kanakhana, Vodhu, Pancashikha, Katha, Jajali, Karakha, Karna, Lomasha, Suryavarca, Katyayana, Panini, Durvasa, Shatatapa, Paribhadra, Astavakra and Maradbhava were standing before him. Himalaya offered his salutation to then. 

Then prostrating on the ground, he stood before him with folded hands. Thereafter, touching his feet he started washing them with her tears. At that point of time he felt overwhelmed with emotions and the tears started flowing from his eyes. He thereafter started offering prayer to Shiva with the stotra given to him by Dharma. The stotra was handed down by Brahma to Dharma at the time of the solar eclipse. 

Himalaya said- You are the creator, known as Brahma, the preserver like Vishnu and bestower of welfare as Shiva and also the destroyer of the universe; you are the lord beyond qualities, the form of eternal flame, eternal, nature, lord of Prakruti, beyond Prakruti and the nature. 

You take to many forms and the devotees meditate upon you. Whosoever adores you in whichever form, you take to that form.

You are like the sun who creates the universe; you are the base of all the lustres and also serve the crops in the form of cool rays of the moon. 

You represent the wind, Varuna, fire, the destroyer of all, Indra the lord of gods, Kala, the death, Yama, the one who has over-powered the death, for the god of death, kala for the time, death for Yama you are the Vedas, the creator of the Vedas, well-versed in the Vedic and post-Vedic literature, the creator of intellectual; you are a great intellectual yourself, the teacher of intellectuals, mantra, recitation, tapas and you bestow the reward for the same. You are the speech the goddess of speech besides being her creator and the teacher, the seed of Sarasvati is quite astonishing, therefore who can offer prayer to you? 

Thus, speaking Himalaya fell at his feet and then stood there. Shiva then descended from the bull. Addressing Himavan he sat there.

The one who recites this stotra thrice a day, is relieved of all the cures and makes one to cross over the ocean of universe fearlessly. 

One who recites the same for a month gets a son if he has no son, the one having no wife get a chaste wife besides the riches suddenly which he had lost long back. By the grace of Shiva, the dethroned king gets back his kingdom, when a person is in dangers like the prison, cremation ground, danger from enemies, in the flames of fire, breaking of the boat and getting surrounded by the wild animals one is relieved of all these dangers.