Let us take the case of Párvatii. What is the meaning of the word Párvatii? Some may derive it as Párvatasya duhitá, párvatasya kanyá (using śaśt́hii tatpuruśa⁽¹⁾) – that is, “daughter of a hill”. Obviously the question will arise, and quite logically, how can a human girl whose body is made of five fundamental factors be the daughter of a hill? A river may be called the daughter of a hill, but in the case of a human girl we cannot say that. So the derivation of Párvatii as párvatasya kanyá is not logically acceptable; rather the proper derivation is párvatadeshiiyá kanyá ityarthe Párvatii (using madhyapadalopii karmadháray⁽²⁾ ): “a girl born in the hill state.” So when people say that Párvatii was the daughter of the Himalayas, it does not mean that she was the daughter of a person named Himalaya, but that she was a person born in the Himalayan Range. This Párvatii was fair-complexioned; that is, she was an Aryan girl.

In the then India, the mutual relations between the original inhabitants of India (Austrico-Mongolo-Negroids) and the outsiders, the Aryans, were by no means cordial. The Aryans, out of deep-rooted contempt for the indigenous people of India, used to call them sometimes asuras [monsters], sometimes dánavas [demons], sometimes dásas [slaves], sometimes shúdras. The Aryans did not accept those people in their society; rather, they declared them to be outcastes. But these ancient people of India, of Austrico-Mongolo-Negroid blood, had their own civilization and culture. They were also developed people: they had their science of Tantra, and their medicine. There was a prolonged conflict between these people and the Aryans.

Párvatii was the daughter of an Aryan King, Daksha, who ruled in the Himalayan regions. Many people were hopeful that after the marriage between Párvatii and Shiva, the relations between the Aryans and the non-Aryans would improve. During the period of penance that Gaorii (another name for Párvatii) undertook in order to attain Shiva as her husband, she used to dress in the fashion of a Shavara girls (the Shavaras were one of the non-Aryan communities.) She used to stitch turmeric leaves together to make improvised outer garments. One of the Sanskrit synonyms for “turmeric leaves” is paŕńa. As she would wear paŕńa as her clothes, she was called paŕńashavarii. Later, after she became successful in her penance, people requested her, “Now please set aside the turmeric leaves and wear fine clothes.” When she actually discarded the crude turmeric leaves, she was nicknamed Apaŕńá [“without leaves”]. Unfortunately, even after the marriage between Shiva and Párvatii, the relations between Aryans and non-Aryans did not improve; rather they became more strained – the conflicts became more acute than before. Gaorii’s father, Daksha, and the Aryans continued their slanderous campaign against Shiva, and finally, to humiliate Shiva, they held a yajiṋa [sacrificial ceremony] to which Shiva was not invited. Párvatii went to attend the yajiṋa, and, unable to bear the insults to her dear husband, immolated herself in the sacrificial fire.

Kśánta hao go pitá Shivanindá ár sahe ná
Kuver yár bháńd́árii Brahmá Viśńu dvárer dvárii
Ámi tánri ájiṋákárii jeneo ki tá jána ná.

“I am a follower of Sadáshiva, the brilliance of whose divine presence outshines even the dazzling brilliance of the jewels of Kuvera’s⁽³⁾ treasury; whose unmatched dexterity in creation excels even that of the creator Brahmá Himself; whose unequalled love surpasses even that of the dissolver Maheshvara Himself; in whose loving shelter not only humans, but also animals and plants, feel absolutely secure. You certainly know this. I cannot bear this insult to Shiva any longer. Stop, Father, stop!” After that self-immolation the relations between the Aryans and the non-Aryans improved.

Footnotes

(1) A particular grammatical style of splitting words. –Trans.

(2) A particular grammatical style of splitting words. –Trans.

(3) The mythological treasurer of heaven.