Parvati
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The mysterious Goddess Parvati is treated in modern Hindu tradition as a sort of composite Goddess, having absorbed the traditions of such Goddesses as Kali, Durga, Gauri, Uma, and most of the Tantric Goddesses known as the Mahavidyas. All these Goddesses, including Parvati herself, were originally indigenous tribal deities or part of esoteric, occult sects and were most likely revered in their own right without the necessity of consorts or conglomerations.
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Background
Parvati was originally a mountain Goddess who was venerated as an ascetic, and a Sidhaa—adept. She was considered to be Queen of the woodland spirits know as Pariyan—fairies. Her cult may have originated from the Tibetan Bon Religion, or been influenced by it, but this theory is not widely accepted. [1]
As Shaivism gained prominence in India, and more and more orthodox Hindus began to turn to the worship of the Dravidian God Shiva, and began to accept him as a form of their own Vedic Rudra, it became necessary to domesticate him and make him more relatable in terms of Brahmanic sensibilities. This process is reflected in the Puranas, when the Devas are discussing the God Shiva and plotting to get him married. When the Devas refer to his appearance, there is almost a connotation of fear and revulsion in their tone. This could be interpreted as a reflection of how the followers of the Vedic Religion viewed the old Dravidian, and tribal religions of India.
Nearly all the Goddesses, who were Dravidian or part of the indigenous cultures, later became identified with Parvati, and the male deities from the same traditions, later became distributed between the cults of Shiva, Subrahmanya, and Krishna. It is unknown, to what extent this was deliberate, but it was certainly convenient. In this way, the orthodox Brahmins of the time, who were essentially from the Aryan tradition, were able to regulate, and normalise some of the aspects of the old religion. Also they were able to teach the aboriginal people, whom they perceived as primitive pagans, about the principle of one, universal being. Unfortunately for the Brahmins, this had the unforeseen side effect that the Dravidian God Shiva rose in popularity to such an extent, that he came to rival, the Vedic Gods Varuna, Indra, and Brahma. When the theosophists of the Brahmanic tradition identified Lord Shiva with their own Lord Rudra, it was probably an attempt to trivialise him as Rudra was a God of lesser importance in their own tradition, and was associated with some unsavoury qualities. The unfortunate side effect of the marriage of these faiths, (and Gods,) for the old religion was that many of their mysteries became lost and obscured as more and more sects were gelled together. Parvati, and her lore, is quite possibly the biggest casualty of this process. Most modern Hindus would be surprised to hear of Parvati being described as "mysterious," because she is considered to be the Supreme Being, and therefore very central in the significance of mainstream Hinduism. When people address the Mahadevi, it is usually her they are addressing rather than Saraswati or Lakshmi, but when they invoke her Saakaar—with form, they do not invoke her as Parvati. They usually fall back on one of the Goddesses identified as her Roops or avatars, such as Uma, Meenakshi, or Gauri. Due to too much identification with other Goddesses and too many epithets, the character and uniqueness of the original Parvati has faded into the mists of time.
The association of the Himalayas with ascetic practices and renunciation is almost timeless. As the first known deity to be associated with this area, Parvati may be considered symbolic of the true ascetic. Even in Chola Statuary, which tended to lean toward the Baroque in terms of ornamentation, Parvati was depicted wearing a sacred thread (the symbol of a Brahmin Priest, which is forbidden for women to wear, but not for Goddesses) and sporting the topknot of a Rhshi or seer. Parvati’s worship was not native to south India where the Chola Empire thrived, but Rhshis and Brahmin Priests were familiar enough, therefore the Chola Sculptors may have simply used what they knew, when attempting to depict the image of a strange northern ascetic Goddess.
Iconography and Esoterica
Parvati was also revered, quite literally, as the Queen of the Fairies. Many westerners would be surprised to hear that the notion of fairies was even known in India before the coming of the English, but a small, prankish, winged, female, supernatural being associated with forests and glades, does appear in Hindu folklore, especially in the foothills of the Himalayan range. These beings are known as Pari or Pariyan in the plural. The etymological similarity between the words “Pari,” and “Fairy,” is too close to be ignored. Parvati’s rulership over the supernatural and supernatural beings is consistent throughout the history of her worship.
Her complexion is dark brown, but not black. Her colour is violet, the colour of enlightenment, and the scant garments she wears will be violet, or the hazy lilac of distant, misty mountains. She is bare breasted like all those Goddesses who are heavenly, or ethereal. Contrary to the western idea, or even the current Hindu one, to the ancients, bare breasts and nudity symbolised purity and unfettered divinity, while clothes represented the earthly binds of the body, sensuality, and attachment, therefore Goddesses with covered breasts were usually part of fertility cults or were avatars like Radha, Sita, or Rukhmini.
Surprisingly, Parvati was in the Chola period, depicted in a much more voluptuous way than Shri herself. Even though Shridevi was considered the embodiment of feminine grace, she always appeared in a slightly more prosaic form than Parvati. This effect was compounded by the fact that Parvati’s gorgeous curves were decked out in the attributes of a Rhshi, while Shri’s somewhat generic form donned the ornaments of a Queen, complete with Karandamukut.
Parvati’s mudras are Tarjani, Chandrakal, Katak, and Harin. Tarjani symbolises menace, or wrath and is supposed to be described with her left hand, and in the back row of hands, because in India the left side symbolises contempt and destructive items, as well as destructive mudras, must be depicted in this hand. However, this rule is not strictly followed as, the left side is also symbolic of the feminine principal and the rule does not always apply to female deities. Chandrakal is also described with one of the back two hands. This Mudra is generally considered symbolic of the moon as the name suggests. As such, it symbolises intelligence and the intellect. The intuitive aspect of the moon is not emphasised in Hinduism in the way that it is in the Celtic and Hellenic traditions, but its intoxicating qualities are. Chandrakal also represents the shield and is used as a warding gesture.
Katak is the mudra of fascination and enchantment. In appearance, it resembles Karan, which symbolises the thunderbolt, but is more sketchily described. It also resembles the Ahayavarda Mudra, which is used for beckoning a supplicant forward to receive a blessing. Katak is also a mudra of beckoning, but is described more sinuously than Ahayavarda. With Katak, the supplicant is lured forward and enchanted. In the Puranic Period Parvati was sometimes identified with the principal of Maya. Shiva was believed to be representative of Purush, the uncorrupted being, and Parvati the representative of Prakriti, the force of illusion, by which souls are ensnared. Parvati has assumed this role almost by default as Shiva’s consort and this does not seem to be very indicative of her ancient mountain cult except in the sense that as Maya, she retained some of her magical qualities. Maya is sometimes called Jadugarni—sorceress. For the Aryans, sorcery was synonymous with deception and trickery, but for the indigenous cultures, sorcery was the esoteric, and linked with spiritual practice, as is evinced by the Tantric tradition. There may have been some misunderstanding between the two peoples and so, when confronted with Parvati, with her voluptuous curves, wearing the attributes of a Hill Shaman, the theologians from the Aryan tradition applied their prejudice and slotted her and Shiva into the Purush/Prakriti archetypes. In this way, Parvati’s role as Shiva’s consort came to be understood as a counterbalance to his austere nature and she became associated with manifestation and the wheel of birth and death, but in origin, Parvati was more Shiva’s colleague than his opposite. The Shiv/Shakti concept is a very central and important part of Hindu Mysticism, but it really has nothing to do with Parvati. If one wants to understand Parvati in terms of the Purush/Prakriti or Shiv/Shakti principals then it would be better to identify her as Purush, rather than Prakriti. She has attained the state of “Shiva” (the state of perfect bliss). The story of Parvati’s marriage to Lord Shiva from the Shiva Purana is well known, but not well understood. Today in Hinduism Parvati is regarded as exemplifying the ideal Hindu wife, as though the whole point of the scripture was that she got married, but consider, the majority of the text is taken up with descriptions of her austerities. People always make the mistake of anthropomorphising the Gods, in other words they view the Gods as having similar limitations and motives as human beings. A God or Goddess has no need to get married or have children, or engage in any of the activities associated with the wheel of birth and death. When Gods perform actions in the scriptures that seem comparable to human life, then these actions must be understood in an allegorical way.
When Parvati undergoes severe penance to gain the hand of Lord Shiva, she is not a girl, or even Parvati, the Goddess. She symbolises the aspirant who wants to be liberated from human suffering, and Shiva is not a God or a male, in this context, he is the uninterrupted state of being. The Marriage of Shiva and Parvati is a beautiful image because it shows a story of success for liberation, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with marriage in the prosaic sense. Both Shiva and Parvati are renunciates and therefore, do not, and cannot symbolise marriage. Indeed, it would be inadvisable to invoke either God for a marriage ceremony.
The Shiva Purana may have been interpreted in a conjugal way to discourage young girls from following the example of Parvati and becoming renunciates. Parvati illustrates the path of the ascetic, even as she succumbs to the patriarchal revolution by getting married.
Although the Puranic priests may have misunderstood some of the esoteric aspects of Parvati's significance, it must be admitted that they did some justice to her as well. While they may not have emphasised her spiritual character in doctrine, they certainly did so in votive statuary. The Rhshi’s topknot is no small compliment to Goddess Parvati. The Rhshis were considered so high, in both the Tantric and Vedic traditions, that they were said to be beyond the reach of the Gods themselves. They stand outside of time and space and are symbols of complete occult mastery. While Shiva, Agni, and Brahma may be depicted with their hair in this style, no other Goddesses besides Parvati are depicted in this way, not even the Mahavidyas who are also ascetic Goddesses. That makes only four deities, out of the entire pantheon, who have attained the status of Rhshi, and only one of them is a Goddess, our Parvati. The Lord Dattatrey is only counted as a Nath but may also be depicted with the Rhshi’s topknot.
In the Image at the top, Parvati is shown in her form as Ishwari. Ishwari is the feminine manifestation of Ishwar, the supreme Godhead. In the Hindu tradition, any God may represent the Supreme Being in form, as all are considered manifestations of the underlying reality, which is formless. That said, it is usually in the Shakta sects, that Goddesses are attributed this distinction. In the Shakta—Tantric tradition, Parvati is said to subsume all male deities within herself. It is in this role, that Parvati is depicted in the even, erect stance of the primary deity. She stands on a decorated plinth, stylised to represent a mountain peak. In her primary set of hands she carries a Ghantika—bell, symbol of femininity, and Maalaa—prayer beads, the symbol of asceticism. In the secondary set of hands she carries Pasha—Noose. The noose is really only associated with Parvati in the south Indian tradition, and their are no scriptural explanations for why Parvati carries this emblem in so much of South Indian sculpture. The remaining hand is in Chadrakal mudra, and holds a crescent moon, to symbolise the cool, and detached nature of the Goddess. Her signature emblems, The Mudras Katak, Tarjani and Harin, plus the Rhishi's topknot, and the priestly thread are also evident. In this depiction the topknot is in the process of coming undone, which is an oblique reference to the Gurs, whose hair must be unbound before they perform an augury. Behind are the Sengedkarmig Lioness and the Pinaka staff. The Pinaka staff is an emblem carried by Himalayan sorcerers for the purpose of affecting weather changes. It is a wooden staff, carved in the shape of a serpant. This staff symbolises Parvati's dominion over the supernatural. Her eyes are half closed, indicating she is partially submerged in meditative trance. All those Gods who are considered to be meditators or dhyanis are depicted in this way. She also has a third eye, which is vertical. This is the eye, which sees the invisible, and only opens when the other two are closed. This image is heavily influenced by south Indian Scultpure, especially Pallava statuary.
Spotting Parvati in the Chola Period
Goddesses in Chola statuary were virtually uniform in appearence, especially when they were present in their function as a consort deity. Goddesses when depicted with their consorts, often took on the status of attendant deities, and had to be depicted in the Atibhang stance. This posture was believed to have evolved from a type of elaborate court dance. In this posture the body forms an elegant S shape with the hips thrust out to one side. Both attendant deities and consort deities would be depicted in shrines in this way, often flanking the idol of the main deity of the temple. The featured deity was considered (at least in his/her own temple) to be the Supreme Being, and therefore, had to be in the Sambhang stance; the erect and symmetrical posture. Three Goddesses in particular were quite hard to tell apart in this period, Lakshmi (known as Shridevi then), Parvati, and Bhoomidevi. Usually, Lakshmi could be distinguished by the fact that she wore a conical shaped crown known as Karandamukut, a style of crown reserved specifically for Queens. She usually wore a band of cloth over her breasts, and her hands showed her signiture Abhaya and Varada poses (symbolising benediction and reassurance). The problem comes when trying to separate Parvati and Bhoomi. As stated before, Parvati was depicted with the sacred thread, Rhshi's topknot and affected the mudra's Katak (enchantment) and Harin (destructive forces of nature). Bhoomi could also be depicted with the forbidden priestly thread, and her Mudras mimicked those of Parvati. She also, was shown with a brazenly bared bosom. Only the crowns give any clue. Bhoomi was also depicted wearing the Karandamukut, like Lakshmi. The Rhshi's topknot was reserved for Parvati who had earned the status. The trouble is, Chola sculptors interpreted the three types of crowns in a variety of ways and the Rhshi's headdress could sometimes be depicted as Jatamukut, which is a stylised crown designed to resemble matted hair. This crown could resemble, very closely, Karandamukut, even though the two crowns were symbolically opposite. Bhoomi's iconography in the Chola period poses quite a mystery. The Iconographical rules of the time stated that Goddesses of the earth, should be shown with covered breasts, and sky Goddesses, or Goddesses who dwelt in heaven, may be shown bare breasted. It is not known why it is Bhoomi, and not Lakshmi, who is depicted "sky clad." While both Goddesses had connections with fertility, it was generally Bhoomi who was accepted to be the earth mother. It is easy to see why Parvati may have worn the sacred thread of a priest, but it seems somewhat out of place for Bhoomi. It is possible that the sacred thread was accorded to Bhoomi because of her rulership over the forest. When people renounced the world, in ancient India, and left their homes to seek wisdom, they usually went to either the mountains, or the forest. Parvati and Bhoomi, may have displayed the symbol to indicate that their respective dominions (forest and mountains) were reserved, only for renunciates.
The Parvati Valley and Its Significance
Her valley in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh is actually named Parvati Valley (written as Parbatti), but is known more by the name Manikarn. Parvati’s worship has declined in the region. She has one small temple across from the Sharma Baths, in which, naturally, men are forbidden, but her cult has receded in favour of more popular deities and Sikhism due to the large Gurdwara across the river. “Manikarn” means “earring.” The story of Parvati losing her earring while taking a bath leading to a chain of events that cause the Manikarn hot springs to bubble forth is recounted in Penelope Chetwode’s book “Kullu The End of the Habitable World.” We don’t need to go into it here, but Khir Ganga is where Lord Shiva sat to meditate when the Devas conspired to send Parvati to him accompanied by Kamdev—Lord Desire, and Basant—The Youth of Spring. Parvati Valley, was named thus because it was where the Goddess performed her penances after Lord Shiva spurned her at Khir Ganga.
The Parvati Valley neighbours the Kullu Valley, which was once considered to be the last frontier inhabitable by man, beyond which only the Gods reside. Kullu is also known as The Valley of the Gods. The residents are mostly friendly and peaceful. The residents of the Parvati Valley, like the resident of Kullu’s other neighbour the misty Lug Valley, tend to be hostile and xenophobic. The history of the Parvati Valley is riddled with strife and natural disaster. Both the Vyaas and Parvati rivers are white water rivers but the Parvati is more torrential and prone to flash floods as well as being glacially cold. Tourists disappear every year all over Himachal, but most commonly in Parvati Valley. It would not be absurd to imagine that the Goddess has become angry since the decline of her worship in her own valley, and this may account for some of the strange occurrences in the area.
In 2007, the Indian government tried to run a pipeline through one of the mountains in the valley and a bizarre geological phenomenon occurred. The mountain appeared to bleed. It began to secrete some kind of reddish mineral where the workmen were drilling, and it gave the alarming appearance of blood issuing directly from the mountain. The workmen, who were mostly local, immediately went on strike.
Cult
Parvati’s wrath is even more legendary than Kali’s or Durga’s. While the two battle Goddesses are fierce to behold, both enjoy wide followings, and are notoriously readily pleased. Parvati is cold, remote, and her patience short. Although Durga’s title is “The Inaccessible One,” in nature, (as depicted by her worship) she is much more accessible than Parvati. The scriptures describe Parvati as “The Gentle Form” of the Mahadevi, but her behaviour in the texts leads to another conclusion. She is not so much gentle, as she is reserved. Her cult is small, and mostly composed of women. Women may propitiate her for trivialities, but she is slow to thaw and that what she bestows is known to be double edged. If she is propitiated by men at all, they do so at their own peril. It is only advisable to approach Parvati as one who has attained the state of Shiva Consciousness. Any less would invite madness. Most men in India will approach the Mahadevi in her form as Durga. Durga, like the Hellenic Athena, will engage with men on the battlefield, but not otherwise. When the Demon King, Mahishasura proposed to Durga on the battlefield, she told him she would marry him if he could defeat her in battle. He never could, but the story illustrates that Durga is accessible if one is willing to meet her as a comrade, a brother. To approach Parvati, as a male, even a submissive one, is to enter very shaky territory, because men are full of sexual desire and to whatever extent they are attached to their bodies, she will incinerate them. Durga must be approached in her own arena and so must Parvati. Durga is propitiated often as she presides over lightening and sudden death, and is frequently called upon to avert accidents. Parvati, like Durga, has her own fire, but it is not the fire of lightning or flame. It is the fire of Tapas, (spiritual fire acquired from esoteric practice). If a man wants to worship Parvati, he must have fully awakened Kundalini, else he be obliterated by the heat of her Tejas, (The finest distillation of energy). When Parvati spends a thousand years doing penance to achieve the state of consciousness known as Shiva, she sets the bar quite high.
The depiction of Parvati’s marriage to Lord Shiva, in the Shiva Purana, could be seen as an allegory illustrating the desire of an individual to achieve a state of liberation from strife and banality. If one sets aside, for the moment, the idea of Lord Shiva as a male entity, and sees him instead as representing a state beyond human suffering, then Parvati becomes symbolic of the aspirant who wishes to achieve nirvana, and the story becomes something considerably more than a quaint romantic tale. The acharyas (scholastic saints), who wrote the Puranas, may have interpreted Parvati’s asceticism as a means of winning Lord Shiva’s hand in marriage, in order to discourage young girls from following the Goddess’s example, and becoming renunciates. In modern day Hinduism the marriage aspect of this story has been inflated in importance, but the most compelling picture we are left with, is Parvati as an ascetic. The majority of the text is concerned with descriptions of her austerities.
Distinctions From Durga
Durga was originally worshipped by fierce tribes in the Vindhya Mountains and her cult was associated with such antisocial (and un-Vedic) practices, as eating meat, and drinking liquor, or blood. The idea of Durga being married is simply preposterous. In ancient times, the indigenous people of India worshipped many ferocious and independent Goddesses. The attempt, on the part of the priests and theologians of the Puranic age, to merge them all together under the heading of Parvati, (herself an indigenous divinity), and marry them off to Lord Shiva was not so much authoritative, as it was a means of taming, and domesticating a bewildering, blood soaked Goddess religion. Today, this process is helped along as Hinduism takes a gradual slide into fashionable monotheism. More and more Gods are absorbed into the trinity and more and more of the ancient knowledge is being lost.
Parvati is hardly ever worshipped, simply as herself, but she does have her own individual status, independent of Kali, Durga, or even Shiva. The stories found in Shastrs and Hindu scripture are treated as authoritative, and causative, in other words reliable documentation of the origins of the deities, but this is not so. First the worship of a deity exists, and then, the story is created to explain it, sometimes obscuring the integrity of the original faith. This pattern was often followed when Brahmin Priests, (having evolved from an Aryan tradition,) encountered tribal religions and wanted to convert them. They would create fabulous propaganda surrounding the tribal deities linking them to established Sanskrit scripture, and later, these stories would be absorbed into the scripture itself. However, there are often traces of the original practices and beliefs in the stories themselves. Parvati was a dark skinned Goddess, as was Kali and many of the other indigenous deities. This does not mean that they are the same, or that they may be worshipped in the same way. The story from the Puranas in which Parvati performs penances to remove her dark complexion and, when she sheds her skin, she becomes Gauri and the discarded shell, comes to life and becomes Kali, proves nothing except that, after the Aryan invasion, light skin became fashionable.
In the Tantric tradition, the distinctions between Kali, Durga, and Parvati are quite clear. Each Goddess symbolises one of the three Gunas—the forces of nature. Kali, the black one, represents Tamas, the force of inertia, sleep, and matter. Durga, the red, is energy—Rajas, which animates everything. These two forces make up the fabric of mundane creation. Parvati presides over the third guna known as Sattwa. This guna is a little more difficult to understand in terms of western thinking. It is usually translated as "virtue", but it would be more acurate to describe it as "consciousness". That force by which reality is seen and known by the intelligent mind. When initiates are first inducted into the mysteries of Tantra, they are usually under the influence of Kali and Durga only. Motion and repose. According to Tantra the average human being's spiritual energy does not rise above their navel. When they undergoe Tantric practice they begin to reach Parvati's domain. In other words, their energy rises to the head, which is where the force of Sattwa is distilled. The Head Chakra's colour is violet like Parvati's garments.
See also
Bibliography
- Hindu Gods and Goddesses, A.G. Mitchell
- Kullu: The End of the Habitable World, Penelope Chetwode
- A Dictionary of Buddhist and Hindu Iconography, Fredrick W. Bruce
- The Hymns of the Ŗgveda, Ralph T.H. Griffith
- Kundalini Aghora, Robert E. Svoboda
- The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography, Margaret Stutley
- Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in Hindu Religious Tradition, David Kinsley
External links
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