NAVARAATHRI SPECIAL SERIES #1 Shailaputhri (Paarvathi)

NAVARAATHRI SPECIAL SERIES #1 Shailaputhri (Paarvathi)

Paarvathi is the reincarnation of Sati, who burnt herself wilfully as a rebellion before her father who disapproved and insulted her marriage with the ascetic Shiva. Sati was therefore an extreme personification of a woman’s freedom to choose her life partner without being pressured or judged by anyone else, including family. This self-immolation narrative of Sati was later abused by Hindus to conduct Sati rituals to burn widows alive (this will be discussed further in a future post).
So Paarvathi is a more mature and balanced version of Sati, inheriting her strong will-power, without the extremism. Born as a dark-skinned, beautiful princess, Paarvathi falls in love with Shiva, who is now indifferent to the society and societal norms which caused his beloved Sati to burn herself. She bravely approaches Shiva to make the first move in expressing her love for him. Before she could say anything to Shiva who was engrossed in his meditation, Kamadeva, the Indian Cupid, tried to tempt Shiva to lust for Paarvathi. 

After burning down the demigod of lust with his mystical powers, Shiva shuts his eyes and resumes his meditation. Now, Paarvathi is disappointed as she didn’t get to say anything to him. But, she mustered all her strength and will to perform intense spiritual practices to attract Shiva’s attention. Her mother forbids her to do so: “Such austerities are for men; you’re a delicate girl”. Paarvathi refuses: “No, I am tough.” This is the moment when Paarvathi, the maiden, steps into her power. She’s moved by love, which combined with her now intensely focused will is powerful enough to shift the order of the cosmos. Her will simply says ‘no’ to objections and obstacles. Shiva has rejected me? No, he will not do that. My family doesn’t want me to practice yoga? No, I won’t accept their limits.

Shiva is moved by Paarvathi’s love and strong will; so they both get married and their marriage is seen as sacred as it commenced with the destruction of Cupid (lust).

For many women who are struggling to find a balance between strength and softness, Paarvathi can be a key inner-goddess archetype. She holds a trident (symbolizing strength) on one hand and a lotus (symbolizing softness) on another. She’s also a goddess of love, with a seductive radiance directed at her beloved, yet at the same time focused inward, on her own self. She’s a mother. She’s powerful and she’s tender, she’s wilful and she’s playful–both at the same time. Her marriage with Shiva is one where two powerful beings become one without sacrificing their individuality.

Though Paarvathi is inextricably connected to her partner, she also fully embodies her own powerful will. She is beautiful, sexy and athletic; she can actively pursue yoga without regard to traditionally feminine delicacy, yet she remains fully feminine. Part of Paarvathi’s mystery is that even as a wife, her independence is always intact, including her sexual independence. Even when she becomes a mother, it is by a form of parthenogenesis: the son of her body, Ganesha, is produced without benefit of insemination, i.e. without any help from her husband.