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Parvati & Vishnu
- Thread starter Shrew
- Start date
Yes. The story is in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto X, Krishna's birth. Parvati/Durga took birth as Krishna's baby sister to trick Kamsa into attempting to kill her instead of baby Krishna. Kamsa picked up the baby girl, thinking this was the child prophesied to overthrow him, intending to throw her to her death. Instead, she assumed her divine form as the 8-armed warrior goddess and said to Kamsa "You fool, the one destined to overthrow and destroy you is already born and safely hidden away". Then she disappeared. Because she is the sister of Nārāyana, she is called Nārāyanī.
om sarva mangala mangalye shive sarvatha sadhike
sharanye tryambake gauri nārāyanī namostute
Adi Shakti is the mooL Prakruti is the mAyA of VishNu, known as VishNu-mAyA. (yA devi sarva bhUteshu vishNu-mAyeti shabditA | namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah: || - Devi Mahatmya, MarkaNDeya purAN)
In the Gita Krishna says
BG 7.14 Daivi hyeshA guNamayi mama mAyA duratyayA |
mAm eva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAm taranti te ||
My Divine power which consists of the 3 modes of material nature [and makes this appearance called world], is very difficult to transcend, but those who surrender to Me or take My shelter can cross it.
From the purANas,
This shakti appeared as Sati , daughter of Daksha, and then as PArvati daughter of Himvan (of the parvat HimAlaya - Himagauri). After Sati gave up Her life, VishNu dispersed parts of the body in various parts of BhArat-varsha, that came to be known as Shakti PeeTha. Each Shakti PeeTha has a particular significance. Shiva went into samAdhi after Sati's demise, and when She came back as PArvati and performed a lot of penance, VishNu asked Shiva to marry PArvati as She was Sati come back. Shiva also tested PArvati's resolve and She passed with flying colors.
As brother VishNu gave TripuraSundari's hand to Shiva in marriage (kanyAdaan). (a form of the same Adi Shakti). BramhA became the purohit (priest who conducts the wedding).
From the POV of tattva,
VishNu and His mAyA are 2 sides of a coin, NArAyaN - NArAyaNi.
Shiva's consort is this VishNu-mAyA Shakti because of the inert elements of mooL prakRuti that match Shiva who governs tamoguNa. Since the first version of shakti is inert Sat. It then matures into saraswati (chit samvit knowledge) and Lakshmi/Shri (goodness , good qualities, prosperity).
From the ShAkta angle, the Divine paired as 2 sides of a coin for creation : VishNu-KAli (black), Shiv-Saraswati (white), BramhA-Lakshmi (red ; both came from a Lotus - connection).
From Bhagwat Puran:
This VishNu-mAyA (i) transfered BalarAm from Devaki's womb to Rohini's (ii) later appeared as daughter of Yashoda around the time of His KRshNa avatAr, , exactly as per VishNu's instructions when the Devas requested VishNu to appear and save the earth. She was playing this role in order to delude KaMsa and let KRshNa live hidden in GokuL. At the time VishNu instructs Yoga mAyA to do this , and gives Her a boon that She will be known and worshiped in the coming Yuga (Kali Yuga) as Sharada, Ambika and BhadrakAli and will fulfill people's wishes.
In this way also, She as YogamAyA is KRshNa's sister as mentioned above. After escaping KaMsa's clutches She settled on the VindhyA mountains and tribals worshiped Her there.
In GokuL you will find YogamAyA opposite the YamunA ThakurAni ghaat. They have an evening Arati for YogamAyA right after the 6 o'clock Arati for YamunA-KrishNa at ThakurAni ghaat.
In the Gita Krishna says
BG 7.14 Daivi hyeshA guNamayi mama mAyA duratyayA |
mAm eva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAm taranti te ||
My Divine power which consists of the 3 modes of material nature [and makes this appearance called world], is very difficult to transcend, but those who surrender to Me or take My shelter can cross it.
From the purANas,
This shakti appeared as Sati , daughter of Daksha, and then as PArvati daughter of Himvan (of the parvat HimAlaya - Himagauri). After Sati gave up Her life, VishNu dispersed parts of the body in various parts of BhArat-varsha, that came to be known as Shakti PeeTha. Each Shakti PeeTha has a particular significance. Shiva went into samAdhi after Sati's demise, and when She came back as PArvati and performed a lot of penance, VishNu asked Shiva to marry PArvati as She was Sati come back. Shiva also tested PArvati's resolve and She passed with flying colors.
As brother VishNu gave TripuraSundari's hand to Shiva in marriage (kanyAdaan). (a form of the same Adi Shakti). BramhA became the purohit (priest who conducts the wedding).
From the POV of tattva,
VishNu and His mAyA are 2 sides of a coin, NArAyaN - NArAyaNi.
Shiva's consort is this VishNu-mAyA Shakti because of the inert elements of mooL prakRuti that match Shiva who governs tamoguNa. Since the first version of shakti is inert Sat. It then matures into saraswati (chit samvit knowledge) and Lakshmi/Shri (goodness , good qualities, prosperity).
From the ShAkta angle, the Divine paired as 2 sides of a coin for creation : VishNu-KAli (black), Shiv-Saraswati (white), BramhA-Lakshmi (red ; both came from a Lotus - connection).
From Bhagwat Puran:
This VishNu-mAyA (i) transfered BalarAm from Devaki's womb to Rohini's (ii) later appeared as daughter of Yashoda around the time of His KRshNa avatAr, , exactly as per VishNu's instructions when the Devas requested VishNu to appear and save the earth. She was playing this role in order to delude KaMsa and let KRshNa live hidden in GokuL. At the time VishNu instructs Yoga mAyA to do this , and gives Her a boon that She will be known and worshiped in the coming Yuga (Kali Yuga) as Sharada, Ambika and BhadrakAli and will fulfill people's wishes.
In this way also, She as YogamAyA is KRshNa's sister as mentioned above. After escaping KaMsa's clutches She settled on the VindhyA mountains and tribals worshiped Her there.
In GokuL you will find YogamAyA opposite the YamunA ThakurAni ghaat. They have an evening Arati for YogamAyA right after the 6 o'clock Arati for YamunA-KrishNa at ThakurAni ghaat.
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You won't believe this - but I had initially pasted the first picture above -- the popular one, from the South, in my post. It did not upload well because I had not saved a JPG, and later, for some reason decided not to fix it although it could be. I remember ShivaFan had it as his avatar.
My temple has that as a large relief by the main doors. Actually I'm inclined to think it's Meenakshi because of her green color. Otoh it is all Devi.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Green or blue is an aberration of 'Shyama', which IMHO is simply the color of a 'dark rain-laden cloud' (people make it a complete black which also IMHO is incorrect). I will not give a green, blue or black color to any Hindu God or Goddess. Perhaps what they meant was the dark complexion which many Indians have.
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The following is theistic / gnostic , hence for theists.
-----
First, the Supreme Reality is everything, beyond form and formlessness.
It is correct that the Lord is neither directly blue, black, nor green, but who can stop Him from being whatever? Speaking of avatArs (descent of the Divine on earth), there are multiple reasons for those color depictions but before that...
KRshNa can do what He wants, and He has given darshan as
- a flourescent blue one-year-old filled with molten gold.
- a powder-sky-blue 5 year old Krishna, plays flute , climbs down (little feet not even reaching the floor), and walks away.
- KRshNa or VishNu's flourescent blue hand.
- Banke BihAri as a velvet black astonishingly beautiful face appears to help a devotee who is being deceived by someone...
...
- Years ago, NASA pictures of a new star looked like a flourescent blue Hand, with a ring of red flourescent spots that was unanimously seen as NArAyaN-VishNu's hand with Sudarshan chakra and had become popular as "Hand of God". (KRshNa is NArAyaN)
(O KRshNa ~ are we going to get reactions on RF now?)
-----
-- The scriptures (Bhagwat puran) mention NArAyaNa (VishNu) has a complexion of neelotpala-dala = neela utpala dala = petal of the blue lotus.
-- Krishna is Megha-shyAm not black, as per Bhagwat purAN also, but He can be other things as seen above.
-- Apart from this, symbolism is attributed to the Deity as blue which stands for infinitude (like the sky or ocean appears blue only due to atmospheric reflection and refraction but is not blue it is air / vacuum / space).
-- Another explanation given for green tingle in dark complexion of Rama and Meenakshi, or ChintamaNi-blue (deep navy megha-shyAm) tinge in KrishNa's complexion, is due to their auras. Blue aura.
-- Adi Shakti's form of Matangi (one of the dasha (10) mahAvidyA) is green.
-----
First, the Supreme Reality is everything, beyond form and formlessness.
It is correct that the Lord is neither directly blue, black, nor green, but who can stop Him from being whatever? Speaking of avatArs (descent of the Divine on earth), there are multiple reasons for those color depictions but before that...
KRshNa can do what He wants, and He has given darshan as
- a flourescent blue one-year-old filled with molten gold.
- a powder-sky-blue 5 year old Krishna, plays flute , climbs down (little feet not even reaching the floor), and walks away.
- KRshNa or VishNu's flourescent blue hand.
- Banke BihAri as a velvet black astonishingly beautiful face appears to help a devotee who is being deceived by someone...
...
- Years ago, NASA pictures of a new star looked like a flourescent blue Hand, with a ring of red flourescent spots that was unanimously seen as NArAyaN-VishNu's hand with Sudarshan chakra and had become popular as "Hand of God". (KRshNa is NArAyaN)
(O KRshNa ~ are we going to get reactions on RF now?)
-----
-- The scriptures (Bhagwat puran) mention NArAyaNa (VishNu) has a complexion of neelotpala-dala = neela utpala dala = petal of the blue lotus.
-- Krishna is Megha-shyAm not black, as per Bhagwat purAN also, but He can be other things as seen above.
-- Apart from this, symbolism is attributed to the Deity as blue which stands for infinitude (like the sky or ocean appears blue only due to atmospheric reflection and refraction but is not blue it is air / vacuum / space).
-- Another explanation given for green tingle in dark complexion of Rama and Meenakshi, or ChintamaNi-blue (deep navy megha-shyAm) tinge in KrishNa's complexion, is due to their auras. Blue aura.
-- Adi Shakti's form of Matangi (one of the dasha (10) mahAvidyA) is green.
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Shrew
Active Member
Parvati is a daughter of Himavat, right?
So in order to be Parvati's brother, Vishnu must be a son of Himavat too.
Not necessarily. Remember, they both took birth as human brother and sister. Sort of leela.
Not necessarily because these are forms of the Divine , not mortal beings.
Also, Tripurasundari is a manifested form of Adi Shakti (as collective Shakti of all Devas) , for the purpose of destroying the demon BhanDAsur who had created havoc and menace. As Tripurasundari She is unborn, and no one's daughter.
The concept of brother here means that VishNu and His MAyA are really one yet 2 sides of a coin, NArAyaNa-NArAyaNi, transcendental-material aspects of the Supreme.
We do not look at this like human relationships because they are not. This is why I explained all that.
However, KRshNa comes down to the human level to Grace us, and KRshNa (NArAyaNa-VishNu) and His YogamAyA appear as children of Yashoda, so brother-sister as understood by humans also.
Why does the Divine do these things? For leelA, for us. On our journey of transcendence, These forms hold our hand and walk with us, guide us.