Parvati- The Most Powerful Goddess
Who is Parvati?
She is the counterpart of Shiva and his beloved.
Was created by all the gods and goddesses to fight off an army of demons
Holds all the power of Shiva
Compassionate, kind, and acts as a constant agent of change in the world. She is devoted to caring for mortals
She has 48 different forms she can shift into
She is capable of shifting into different forms that range from loving and motherly; to wrathful, powerful, and destructive; just and broken.
Her forms reflect everything that makes us human. She gives us permission to be ourselves
She is a master of weapons and is sometimes depicted as holding a different weapon in each hand.
Durga- The First Avatar of Parvati
In this image she is holding several gifts from the various gods and goddesses gave her upon her creation.
She originally came into creation as Durga. She rode a a tiger/ lion that symbolizes unlimited power and she is depicted carrying between four and twenty objects in her hands.
The objects in her hands are mainly weapons gifted to her by the gods and goddesses. A few include disc, sword, arrow, trident, and mace to show how one weapon cannot take down all your enemies.
Her red clothing symbolizes action. She is constantly saving mankind and destroying evil.
Parvati’s Connection to Yoga and Yoga Asana
Parvati was the first student of yoga. She was taught the night after her counterpart, Shiva, discovered yoga and became the Adi Guru of Yoga. It is said that he taught her 84 asanas in a single night which belong to the Vedic Parampara (traditional lineage of divine, Vedic, and historical teachers).
Shiva only wanted to share the secrets of yoga with her, but Parvati being the gaurdian of all people wanted to share this secret to improve mortals’ quality of life and dispose of misery.
In tnatra yoga, Parvati is often referred to as Yogini. She is the kundalini shakti that awakens us and guides the power and love within to be expressed individually. She teaches us to be ourselves while practicing yoga.