Parvati
the Mountain Mother Goddess
Parvati is the consort of Shiva with whom she is often portrayed as an idealized
divine family, along with their children Ganesh and Skanda. Parvati is a very
benevolent goddess who absorbs Shiva's spiritual and sexual energy and releases
it in the world for the benefit of all. Glowing skinned, Parvati is the daughter
of the Himalayas.
Parvati, like Durga, is another form of the great goddess Devi and her name
means mountain. She is the daughter of Himavan, god of the Himalayas, hence her
designation as Daughter of the Mountain.
“The association between Parvati and Shiva is often
seen to represent the perennial tension between the ideals of the ascetic and
the householder. Parvati’s aim is to lure Shiva into the world of marriage,
sex, and children, to tempt him away from asceticism, yoga, and otherworldly
preoccupations. In this role Parvati is cast as a figure who enhances life in
the world, who represents the beauty and attraction of worldly, sexual life,
and who cherishes the home and the family.”
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