Background to the Katha
Parvati Devi witnessed the destruction of Kamadeva (the personification of desire) by Lord Shiva. With Kamadeva reduced to ashes and Lord Shiva leaving Himachal Parvat, Parvati was deeply dejected and returned home in sorrow. Her grief at her failure to win the hand of Lord Shiva knew no bounds, and she blamed herself, crying loudly, “Of what use is my beauty, my service to the Lord, my very birth and life itself?”
Narada Muni’s Diagnosis of Her Plight
Narada Muni arrived at her home, and Parvati Devi confided in him about her sorrow. He explained that her motive was pure and her actions were noble. However, one thing was lacking in her attempt to win the Lord’s grace: there was no tapasya (austerity) in her effort. What she had done was great and a fitting start to her spiritual journey, but the single-minded dedication to the pursuit of her goal was missing. His advice to her was to return to the place where Kamadeva was destroyed. Even though Lord Shiva was not physically present, it was the ideal environment to fulfill her objective of winning his hand in marriage.
Narada Muni’s Instruction
Parvati Devi approached Narada Muni as a student approaches a guru and asked for his help. Narada Muni, having experienced a glimpse of divinity but denied full realization in an earlier time, was a fitting guru. With his experience of what is needed to gain that type of development, he was able to instruct Parvati Devi suitably. He taught her the Panchakshari mantra – “Namah Shivaya” – and explained its greatness. He stressed the rigorous penance needed to achieve her goal, and the constant prayer and meditation that must accompany her practice.
Moral of the Story
The account in the Shiva Purana of Parvati Devi’s penance to win the grace of Lord Shiva is very similar to the Churning of the Ocean Katha of the Bhagwat Purana, where the Devas were trying to obtain the Amrit of Immortality from God. Both of these kathas are metaphors for the spiritual journey of a devotee towards God realization.
In the Bhagwatam, the Devas sought the help of Lord Vishnu to free themselves from the misery of constantly losing battles to the asuras. His advice was to churn the ocean. After overcoming some initial obstacles, the churning began in earnest with Lord Vishnu himself lending a hand. Then there occurred a major setback or obstacle in the form of the Halahal poison emerging from the ocean.
In the Shiva Puran, Parvati Devi was born with the desire to regain her position at the side of Lord Shiva. She also had to overcome some minor obstacles in getting the opportunity to perform her devotion to him. Once these obstacles were removed, her service to the Lord began. With the interference of Kamadeva, there was a major setback to her attempts when Kamadeva was destroyed and Lord Shiva left the scene.
In the Bhagwatam, the Devas needed the advice of Lord Vishnu to overcome their fear of the poison of the ocean and continue the churning process. In the Shiva Purana, Parvati Devi needed the advice of Narada Muni to renew her efforts to win the grace of Lord Shiva.
