Who is Goddess Parvati?
Maa Parvati is everything for this world. She is the mother of all living beings. She is the wife of Lord Shiva, the mother of Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya, the mother of Lord Nandi and truly the mother of every creature.
Maa Parvati is very beautiful, extremely kind and full of compassion. She cannot bear to see her children in pain. She understands everyone’s feelings and fulfills the wishes of her devotees.
Even Lord Shiva is incomplete without Maa Parvati, because Shiva without Shakti is incomplete. The union of Shiva and Shakti is seen in Lord Hanuman. That is why Hanuman’s strength and glory are famous all over the world — he is the combined form of Shiva and Shakti. All famous forms of the Goddess — the 51 Shaktipeeths and every Kuldevi of every community — are all forms of Maa Parvati.
Maa Parvati has many forms. Sometimes she becomes Devi Annapurna and feeds the whole world. Sometimes she becomes Jagat Janani and protects all living beings. Sometimes she is a loving mother caring for Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeya. Sometimes she becomes Uma and worships Lord Shiva. She is the most loving and caring mother. In Hindu tradition, every family has a Kuldevi or Kuldevta and they are forms of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati.
When Maa Parvati came as Devi Sati, 51 Shaktipeeths were formed. These places are full of positive energy and are known for fulfilling wishes. Lord Shiva in his Bhairav form always protects these holy places.
Maa Parvati has many forms, but mainly two important forms.
One is her gentle form — full of love, kindness, mercy and blessings for her devotees.
The other is her fierce form — when someone harms her devotees, she takes a powerful form that everyone fears.
It is said that the bond between a mother and her son is pure love. Neither can see the other in pain. Maa Parvati protects her children at any cost — even if she has to stand against Lord Shiva. You may know the story when Lord Shiva cut off Lord Ganesh’s head. At that moment, Maa Parvati appeared in her powerful Devi Bhagwati form to protect her son and could do anything for him.
Maa Parvati is also known as the Ten Mahavidyas — Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Chhinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Baglamukhi, Matangi and Kamala. All these are forms of Maa Bhagwati.
Her beauty can be understood from this — Lalita Tripura Sundari, known as the most beautiful goddess in the universe, is also a form of Maa Parvati. She has many names such as Devi Bhagwati, Devi Uma, Maa Kalka, Maa Baglamukhi, Lalita Tripura Sundari, Devi Kamakshi, Devi Rajrajeshwari and many more.
Many people worship only Lord Shiva and not Maa Parvati. But Shiva without Shakti is incomplete. Worship of Shiva is also worship of Shakti. Shiva and Shakti are not different — they are one. This is shown in Ardhanarishwara, where half the body is Lord Shiva and half is Maa Parvati.
Some great saints believe that in tantric form, Lord Krishna and Devi Radha are also connected to Maa Parvati. Krishna is seen as a form of Kali and Radha as a form of Lalita Tripura Sundari. Their divine pair is also linked to Maa Parvati.
Devi Durga is also a form of Maa Parvati. She is full of power and the whole world bows to her strength. Even Lord Rama prayed to Devi Durga before going to battle in Lanka, showing that no matter how big your battle in life is, always remember to worship the Divine Mother because her blessings lead to victory.
Main Temples of Maa Parvati
Vaishno Devi Dham (Jammu, India)
Here Maa gives darshan in Pindi form. People who visit regularly feel their life becomes easier and progress comes naturally.
Devi Baglamukhi Dham (Himachal Pradesh, India)
She is also known as Pitambari Devi. Performing prayers here helps remove problems, stress and difficulties from life.
Kalka Ji Temple (Delhi, India)
Kalka Ji is a fierce form of Maa Parvati and Maa Kali. She is very kind-hearted but also very powerful. People from far places come here. When you stand before Maa and pray, you feel strong positive energy — a sign that Maa has accepted your prayers.
Sheetla Mata Temple (Gurgaon, India)
This is another form of Maa Parvati. She only needs true devotion from the heart. She is very merciful. This temple is linked to the Mahabharata era.
There are many more temples of Maa Parvati. The list is endless.
What Can You Offer to Maa Parvati?
There is nothing in this world that we can truly give to God because we ourselves are created by God. But Maa Parvati accepts one thing — true devotion from the heart.
If you offer her a flower, a chunri, a saree or fruits with love and faith, she happily accepts it. Pure devotion is the greatest offering because there is nothing greater you can give.
It is believed that offering a saree or chunri to Maa Parvati brings prosperity. And one should always treat the Kuldevi as part of the family, in whatever form she is worshipped.
This is my small sharing about Maa Parvati. I do not have deep knowledge — I have simply shared what I could from my understanding.
Thank you. 🙏
