Himavantha, the ruler of the Himalayas and his wife
Meena Devi, were devout followers of Lord Shiva. They even wished that their daughter grew up to be Shiva’s wife.
Meena Devi performed a 3-day long Tapasya to gratify
Gauridevi, Shiva’s wife. Appeased by
Meena Devi’s meditation, Gauridevi promises her to be reborn as her daughter. She jumps into the fire, only to be reincarnated as Parvati.
Meanwhile,
Shiva went on long
meditation to mourn the
death of his wife.
When
Himavantha learned about Shiva’s plight, he asked
Narada for help.
Narada told Himavantha that
Parvati could earn Shiva’s love only through
prayers.
Parvati spent days and night worshipping
Lord Shiva.
Impressed by
Parvati’s devotion, Shiva resolved to test her love. He
disguised as a
Brahmin and said that it would be futile for her to marry
someone who has no wealth and lived the life of a
beggar. Parvati
became furious hearing these and replied in anger,
“I would marry none,
but Shiva”. Pleased with her answer, Shiva returned to his original form
and agreed to
marry Parvati.
