Story: Parvati and Shiva: The Beginning

So you want to know more about my love life? You want to know what makes me qualified to give advice to others? You want to know why I am the goddess of devotion? Well, the answer isn’t so simple. I have been married to my love since the beginning of time. And I will be married to him until the end of time. Our love is continuous. Death has not separated us. The gods have always returned us to one another. I have gone by many names and lived many lifetimes, so in order to answer your many questions, I must choose one name and one lifetime. I will tell you the story of Shiva and our love during my current lifetime as Parvati. Today, I will share how we were ticked into meeting even though neither of us ever intended to know one another.

My story began one afternoon when I heard my parents talking about Shiva. Shiva was the town’s most eligible bachelor, but you see, he was still grieving the death of his first wife. In all honestly, I felt sorry for him. Everyone was pushing him to get over her but it was all pure selfishness. All the fathers and mothers in my little village wanted him to marry their daughters. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t just let him be and go through the grieving process without the stress of women fawning over him. I was thankful my parents didn’t embarrass me like the other parents in the village.

Poor Rati, my best friend, her parents were probably the worst in the village when it came to insisting she and Shiva marry. Rati wasn’t even attracted to Shiva. She had her eyes set on Kama, a boy we went to school with. I felt sorry for her too. We both knew that if her parents ever found out she had her eyes set on someone else, it would destroy them. We would always joke about how we hoped Shiva would marry soon just so her parents would stop trying to set them up. I was thankful that the two of us could speak candidly about our indifference to Shiva. Well, if I had to be honest, I wasn’t indifferent. I found him to be the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on. His devotion to his wife was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I respected him too much to do anything more than admire from a far.

Anyway, now you know why it was such a big deal when I overheard my parent’s talking about Shiva. I had never heard them utter his name before so when I heard their hushed tones in our kitchen that one night, dread and hope filled my chest simultaneously.

I went to sleep pretending I heard nothing but my false ignorance was fleeting. The next morning I awoke to my parents coming into my room. My mother pulled up a chair and my father stood behind her with his hands lovingly resting on her shoulders.

My mother spoke smoothly, “Parvati dear, we have something very important to talk to you about. Shiva’s friend Nandi approached your father and me yesterday. He is very worried about Shiva’s health and his time in the village has been too stressful for his grieving. Shiva is moving to a cabin in the mountains beyond the next town, but Nandi is worried he cannot help move and take care of Shiva alone. He has noticed that we are the only family in the village to let him mourn in peace and he has asked us to let you go with them to help them move. I know it is a strange request, but Nandi has grown up here, you remember playing with him in daycare when you all were younger, yes? And he is so very worried for his friend Shiva. So we discussed and we think it would be good for you to go.”

I was shocked. Deep down, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t explain my excitement. I never imagined what it would feel like to be in Shiva’s presence. I never opened my mind up to that opportunity. But now that it was here, I never wanted anything more. I felt this urge deep down like I was born to do this. I suppressed my emotions and smoothly replied, “ Yes mother. Yes father. I will do this for Shiva and Nandi. Don’t worry, I will be okay and I will serve him devotedly in his grief. For I know that is something the other women in this town do not know how to do. I will honor you both and prove our family worthy of this compliment Nandi has paid to us. Such trust in our intentions shall not be broken.”

My parents smiled warmly and my father bent down to kiss me on the forehead. It seemed like they still had more to tell me but they were hesitant to say more. I tried to ignore the unsettling feeling I got from them and I got out of bed and began to pack.

I didn’t know at the time what they were keeping from me, but soon I would find out that there were very different intentions involved in this move. Nandi wanted me to marry Shiva. Apparently, Shiva had asked about me and because I was the only name that had passed through his lips since Sati died, Nandi was sure I would be the one to bring him back his joy. My parents knew that if I suspected any sort of marriage proposal, I would have refused out of fear of being just like the other girls in the village. They were right. Had they told me the truth, I would have refused and the beautiful life I share with my dear husband Shiva would have been unknown to me. Who knows where I would be? Oh, I don’t even want to imagine it. A life without my love sounds more like death.

(Shiva mourning his wife's death.  His devotion inspired my own.)

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Author's Note:

One person commented on my storybook that they would love to know more about Parvati, the goddess behind my storybook site.  So this week I decided to read her love stories in order to create and "About Me" tab on her counseling website.  Parvati is the goddess of many things, but I specifically expanded on her title "Goddess of Devotion."  In her love story with Shiva, she remained incredibly devoted to the man she loved even when he showed no signs of love for her.  She was criticized for being so devoted but remained loyal and proved herself in the end.  She had all the beauty in the world and had money to go with that beauty.  She had beautiful clothes and a wealthy lifestyle, but she threw it all away to live as a hermit to prove herself worthy of Shiva.  Her beauty did not attract him, for there were many beautiful women, but her raw devotion was something not all women possessed and therefore made him fall in love with her.  

Another interesting aspect of their story is that Shiva is grieving the loss of his wife, Sati.  That is why he has turned a blind eye to women and why it took him so long to accept Parvati.  The ironic thing about this story is that Parvati is in fact Sati reincarnate.  The beauty behind this irony is that the love between Shiva and Sati/Parvati was so strong that not even death and remarriage could end their love.       

Finally, their love story is so deep that it was impossible to capture it all in one post.  I hope to create one more post to wrap up their story.

Bibliography:

Shiva Parvati: A Story of Divine Love, Amar Chitra Katha, Reading Guide.

Photo Information: 

Found on Pixabay.