Goddess Parvati: Who She Is, Her Story With Shiva and Her Forms

Who is Goddess Parvati?

Parvati (also Uma, Gauri, Shakti) is the Hindu Mother Goddess and the wife of Shiva. In the Puranas she is the daughter of Himalaya, the king of the mountains, and her name means "daughter of the mountain" (parvata). Hindus know her as the Mother of all creation.

With Lakshmi and Saraswati she is one of the Tridevi, the three great goddesses: Saraswati gives knowledge, Lakshmi gives prosperity, and Parvati gives power and love.

Parvati and Shiva

Shiva is the great ascetic, lost in meditation on Mount Kailash. In the Shiva Purana, Parvati wins him not with beauty but with devotion: she becomes Shiva's beloved after performing severe penance. Together they complete each other. Parvati is the feminine complement to Shiva's masculine divinity, the balance of opposites, and from their union the universe was created and through their union it is sustained.

In paintings and sculpture Parvati is shown beside Shiva, gentle and graceful, her gaze on him. In the form called Ardhanarishvara, Shiva and Parvati are shown as one body, half male and half female.

Parvati's children: Ganesha and Murugan

Parvati is the mother of the elephant-headed Ganesha, and Murugan (Kartikeya, Skanda, Subramanya) is the son of Shiva and Parvati. The family on Mount Kailash, Shiva, Parvati and their two sons, is one of the most loved images in Hindu homes.

Parvati's forms: Durga, Kali and more

Parvati has many forms. Durga, the great warrior goddess, is one of her manifestations, and Kali is another of her fierce forms. She can also be worshipped on her own, in her gentle forms:

Form	Who she is
Durga	The warrior goddess who defeats the buffalo demon Mahishasura
Kali	The fierce form who destroys evil and the ego
Gauri	The fair, gentle form, prayed to for marriage and family
Uma	Her name in the Upanishads and in South India
Annapurna	The goddess of food and nourishment
Meenakshi	Her form at the great temple of Madurai

How to pray to Parvati

Many women pray to Parvati for a happy marriage and family, especially on Teej, in Mangala Gauri vrats on Tuesdays of the month of Shravan, and during Navaratri, when all her forms are honored. A simple practice: light a diya, offer red flowers and kumkum, and chant Om Uma Maheshwarabhyam Namah, "salutations to Uma and Maheshwara (Parvati and Shiva)". Diya's prayer library has mantras to the Goddess in her forms, with meanings, on the Durga page.

Diya, the app, has prayers to Shiva and the Goddess to chant along with, and a daily diya. Diya is available for iPhone. See the Diya app.

Questions people ask

Who is the Hindu goddess Parvati?

Parvati is the wife of Shiva and the Mother Goddess: gentle and loving in her own form, fierce as Durga and Kali. She is the daughter of Himalaya, the mountain king, and the mother of Ganesha and Murugan.

Can you tell me the story of Parvati for kids?

Parvati was the daughter of the mountain king Himalaya. She loved Shiva, a great yogi who sat in meditation and noticed no one. So Parvati became a yogi too: she prayed and fasted in the forest for years, until Shiva saw how strong her love and devotion were, and married her. They live on Mount Kailash with their sons Ganesha and Murugan.

Are Parvati and Durga the same?

Durga is one of Parvati's many forms, the warrior form she takes to fight evil. Kali is another fierce form.

How many sisters does Parvati have?

Stories differ by region. Some traditions name Ganga, the goddess of the river Ganges, as her sister, since both are daughters of Himalaya.

What is Parvati the goddess of?

Love and marriage, devotion, fertility and divine power (shakti). Many women pray to her for a good marriage and family, for example on Teej and in the Gauri vrats.