22" Parvati, The Image of Absolute of Womanhood In Brass | Handmade | Made In India

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 Sati was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, a god that presided over yajnas, variously seen as Aditi’s son by sage Kashyapa, as also, Aditi herself being born of him, and thus his daughter. Being insulted by her father Sati immolates her in the fire of her father’s yajna. Deeply aggrieved by her death Shiva, with Sati’s corpse on his shoulder, retires to forest and keeps wandering for long one thousand years. Finally, after Shiva’s plight gets unbearable, Sati returns to life in her re-incarnation as Parvati. Initially, Parvati is dark complexioned but on the advice of Brahmadeva she performs penance at Amarakeshvara and after the holy dip in sacred water there and worship of Shiva-ling she gets the colour of her skin changed to white giving her her new name ‘Gauri’. Sage Narada inspires Parvati to marry Shiva but Shiva does not concede. Finally, Parvati, on sage Narada’s advice performs the most rigorous ‘Panchagni-tapas’ – penance in the midst of five fires and wins Shiva’s heart. On the advice of sage Narada Himalaya concedes to wed Parvati to Shiva.

Though manifestations of the same divinity, while Durga inspires formalism mandating the mind for calling her ‘goddess’ far from inspiring a formal sentiment of votive nature the very name Parvati inspires in mind motherly reverence, a personal feeling that a votive image does not generate. Broadly Durga, Uma, Kali … are the manifestations of Parvati; however, in popular perception while Durga represents her evil-eliminating aspect, Uma, erotic, Kali, awful or fierce, Parvati represents a being in a domestic frame : a mother, a consort, an humble housekeeper doing petty things. Hence, as in this statue, and as is often portrayed in Pahari miniatures, Parvati is as a rule a personalized image with normal anatomy devoid of courtly grandeur and magnificence and it is only the womanly grace and the ultimate motherhood that characterize her imagery. In absolute adherence to such perception of Parvati imagery this most puritan form of the large breasted goddess full of milk represents her as the ultimate model of womanhood abounding in luminous beauty, even sensuous, as also of the life-giving and life-sustaining mother. The artist has added a formal element in the form of small halo but in the totality of her iconographic composition it looks like a mere disc comprising the back of her hair ornament, not defining her aura. 

Typical to the Indian iconographic tradition that perceives in her motherhood her essential being, this normal two-armed image of the goddess conceived with one hand held in ‘abhay’ blends with her ‘mother’ form the sublime beauty of the timeless maid. The tradition perceives stately grandeur and resplendence as the attributes of the four-armed formal image of Sri or Lakshmi. Vigorous and youthful, this figure of Parvati has been cast as the model of the sensuously inclining paramount beauty. The artist seems to have inherited this form of Parvati from early literary texts, the main among them being the Kumarasambhava by the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa that attributes her timeless beauty and youthfulness to her motherly bearing, her power to feed with milk that she contains in her pot-like large breasts – a reflection of the Atharva-Veda that under similar analogy perceives Saraswati’s all creative faculties in her large breasted form. A gorgeously conceived ‘stana-pata’ – breast-band, a pair of mounds with prominent finials crowning over, lays further emphasis on such aspect of the modeling of her figure. An upright image – a bit taller, it has been conceived with absolute parameters of female anatomy : slender figure, narrow waist, voluminous hips, prominent breasts, well defined neck, fine fingers, round face, well-fed cheeks…, as evolved over centuries of medieval iconographic convention. The statue has been installed on a multi-tiered pedestal – a rectangular hexagon adding to its height perspective. She is clad in a gorgeous ‘antariya’ and is splendidly bejewelled.

Exploring the Symbolism and Significance of Parvati in Hinduism

Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, is one of the principal deities of Goddesses in Hinduism. She appeared in the material world as the daughter of Himavan, king of the Himalayan mountains. The Vedic scriptures describe her as a young, beautiful woman who is chaste and faithful to her husband, Lord Shiva. She is always engaged in the loving service of her family; her two sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Goddess Parvati is the embodiment of devotion, love, power, and beauty. The followers of the Shakta tradition (Shaktism) describe her as Adi Shakti or the energy behind the creation of material nature. She is very merciful toward all living entities like a mother who cares for her children and manifests many forms to protect them from miscreants. Her most venerated and important powerful forms are Durga and Kali that she took to vanquish demons who created havoc in the material world.

The Vedic scriptures talk of her beautiful form in detail. She wears a red saree and is generally seated, having two or four arms, beside Lord Shiva. Her younger son Ganesha sits on her knee, while Kartikeya sits or stands near Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati is typically decorated with gold ornaments and a crown on her head and also carries a lotus flower in one of her hands.

What does Parvati symbolize?

Goddess Parvati is gentle and loving toward everyone. She never fails to help and guide those who approach her out of helplessness. Just as a mother is always kind toward her children, Goddess Parvati, being mother nature, is forgiving to all living entities. But when the time comes, she assumes different terrible forms such as Durga and Kali to defeat demons in order to protect the material world. She took the form of Durga and killed the demon Mahishasura. Kali, the most ferocious form, slayed the demon Raktabija. Thus, Goddess Parvati not only symbolizes love, fertility, motherhood, and harmony, but is also the Goddess of power, energy, and destruction.

Can we keep Shiv Parvati statue at home?

It is stated in Srimad Bhagavatam, the most glorious Vedic literature, that Lord Shiva is the topmost Vaishnava (devotee of Lord Vishnu): vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ. In order to get the mercy of the Supreme Lord Vishnu, it is important for us to serve His pure devotees. Thus, worshiping Lord Shiva along with his consort Goddess Parvati at home is the way to the heart of Lord Vishnu. But you must also know the standards of worshiping them so that no offense is committed at their lotus feet. If Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are pleased with your devotional service, you will easily get the causeless mercy of Lord Vishnu and thus the ultimate goal of your life will be achieved.