||Sri Ram Jayram Jaya Jaya Ram||

Chapter – 33 – Dhoha – 32

The penance of Devi Parvathi

Devi Bhavani who is the mother of the Universe and its living being looked at her mother affectionately and spoke to her in a soft voice “Oh! Mother, I shall narrate the dream I had witnessed to you. I saw a handsome young Vipra who advised me in my dreams. “Oh! Shailakumari, follow the advice of Maharishi Narada and undertake penance, your parents are favorable to it.  The penance would remove all your grief and impurities. Lord Bhrama created the Universe/Prapancha with the strength of Thapsya, Lord Vishnu preserves the Universe and its living beings, and Lord Shambhu destroys it with his Thapsya and Lord Adishesha holding the Universe and its living beings on his hood with the power of Tapasya. Oh! Bhavani, the entire Universe is created with the power of penance, therefore keeping this in mind, undertake penance.”

Devi Mena stunned to listen to her daughter Uma, shortly she described the dream of Uma to Lord Himavan. In this way, Goddess Girija pacified her parents and happily left to woods for Tapasya. Her family and relatives were saddened at her decision to leave the palace and undergo extreme austerities in the woods. At that moment, Sage Vedashira arrived in the abode of Mount Himavan and consoled them, he explained the splendor of Parvathi, and got relieved from the grief. Thus Devi Uma contemplating the lotus feet of her beloved Lord immersed in extreme austerities in the wood. Her slender and attractive body was not suitable for the harsh conditions of the wood and austerities, even though she refused to take up any comforts. Thus she spends several years contemplating that supreme Lord Mahadeva.  Eventually, she lost the conscious of her body, her devotion multiplied at the feet of Supreme Lord, she continued Tapasya thousands of years consuming the fruits, she consumed leaves for hundred years, sometimes she consumed air and water and continued penance, three thousand years she consumed the dry bale leaves and continued Tapasya, finally she refused that too. In this way, Devi Uma attained the sacred name ‘Aparnna’. Lord Bhrama’s divine voice reverberated on the sky, after seeing the fragile body of Devi Uma as a result of thousands of years of penance “Oh! Girirajakumari, you have succeeded in your penance, kindly stop the extreme austerities, you will attain Lord Thripurari soon. There are several illustrious Rishis and Sages could not undertake Tapasya like you. Oh! Devi, kindly proceed to the abode of Mount Himavan with him, he will be arriving soon in the wood.  Soon you will understand the divine voice is pure and true, shortly you will understand the authenticity of the divine voice as well, and you will meet the Saptharishis in the abode of Mount Himavan.” Goddess Girija was extremely happy after listening to this divine voice.