Goddess Parvati (देवी पार्वती)

Goddess Parvati is one of the most worshipped Goddess in Hindu religion. She is the mother of universe and the wife of Lord Shiva. 

Uma (उमा), Gauri (गौरी), Shailja (शैलजा), Kali (काली) are some of the other names of Goddess Parvati. She is the mother of Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya. 

Ganga (गंगा) is the sibling of Goddess Parvati. In some puranas, Lord Vishnu is considered as the brother of Goddess Parvati. She is the daughter of mountain king Himalaya and Mainavati. She is considered as the rebirth of Goddess Sati (देवी सती)  who was the first wife of Lord Shiva.

Parvati is the Goddess of love, beauty, marriage, family, children and devotion. She is the considered as the central strength and power in Hindu religion. She has a charming and attractive personality. In Hinduism married women worship her for a happily married life. With Parvati, Lord Shiva became a family man.

Goddess Parvati is the reborn of devi Sati, the first wife of Lord Shiva. Sati was the daughter of Daksha. She sacrificed her body by jumping into the fire because of insult of her husband Lord Shiva by her father. Taking her lifeless body, lord Shiva performed the dance of destruction ‘Tandav’ and wanted to destroy the universe. Lord Vishnu cut the lifeless body by his discus ‘Sudarshan chakra’ to calm down the anger of lord Shiva. The body divided into fifty-one pieces and they became the ‘Shakti Pitha’ on the earth.

Durga, Kali, Tara, Chandi are the incarnations of Goddess Parvati. In Durga form she is displayed with eight hands taking weapons, conch, lotus and giving blessings. Kali and Chandi are the aggressive and angry form of the goddess. Goddess Parvati took these incarnations to kill demons like Mahishasura, Rakhtbij, Shumbh-Nishumbh. Her animal vehicles are Lion, Tiger and Bull.

Another form of Goddess Parvati is Devi Annapurna, who give food to Lord Shiva. She is the goddess of grains. She gives food to the whole universe.

Navratri is the festival of goddess Parvati in which she is worshiped in the form of Nav-Durga.

Goddess Parvati balances the power of Lord Shiva in Ardhnarishewar form. Lord Shiva is incomplete without Goddess Parvati. Goddess Parvati shows the power of feminine. It means that the universe is incomplete without the feminine power and existence.

When goddess Parvati became young, she got attracted to the Lord Shiva. She did hard work to get Lord Shiva as her husband. Lord Shiva took very hard examination of the Goddess. But with her strong determination, she impressed Lord Shiva and he accepted her as his wife.

Lord Kartikeya is the first son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. They formed him by uniting their powers together.

Lord Ganesha is the second son of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. One upon a time the Goddess wanted to bath, she made the statue of a boy from the turmeric paste from her own body and gave breathe life into it and declaring him as her son Ganesha.

In Hindu religion, Shiva family is the ideal family with love, unity and respect to each other. All Hindu followers worship them for happily married life, family and good luck.