Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.2053

c8.2053

Indra and others on their return from Brahmā went to Bṛhaspati to think about further procedure in the matter. Bṛhaspati said:—“No obstacle would ever come to any act of the devas. Himavān was doing penance for a long time to obtain a child and by the grace of Śiva, Satī has already been born as the daughter of Himavān. (Skanda Purāṇa in its Sambhava Kāṇḍa states thus about the birth of Satī as Pārvatī. “Satī before jumping into the fire meditated on Śiva and prayed that she should be born in her next birth as his wife. Śiva granted that request. It was at that time that Himavān along with his wife Menā went to the vicinity of Amṛtasaras and started doing penance to get a child. One day when Himavān and his wife were bathing in the saras they saw a gem of a girl in the waters and they took it. Then they found the child with four hands and all other emblems of goddess on her. They praised her with verses from Vedas and soon the divine emblems faded away and Himavān gave the child to his wife.”) Brahmā never wanted Tāraka to know that the child was an incarnation of Devī and so he made the babe black by sending Niśā to do so. Niśā entered the womb of the pregnant Menā while she was sleeping with her mouth open one day. The child was like a sapphire idol. Himavān was surprised to see the child. The child will do severe penance and obtain Śiva as her husband. Śiva and Satī will never be separated in any of their births. Oh Indra now go and try to get Śiva interested in a married life.”