Shiv Shakti - The Mountains Bound Us! (Haimavati)

Rememberance

Parvati had not returned to the palace for a long time, so a worried Menavati had sent Jaya and Vijaya to look for her. When they reached the location, they found Parvati lying unconscious outside the cave. They called her, tried to wake her up but she didn't. Jaya rushed to bring water and sprinkled some on her. Parvati started to stir slightly and then got up.

"Parvati! What happened?" Jaya asked, worriedly.

Parvati was still trying to get used to her surrounding. Then she remembered what happened. How Shiva had burnt Kam Dev in front of her eyes. She was still shaken.

"I'm okay"

That was the only thing she said before going back.

Parvati had become very distant after that day. She wouldn't talk to anyone. Wouldn't do her usual activities and won't even go outside the palace. The news of Shiva leaving had reached Himalaya and everyone assumed that it might have been the reason for her change of demeanor. Himavan and Mena were very worried about their daughter so they prayed to Lord Vishnu, looking for a solution.

A few days had gone by like this. One day, Parvati was sitting in a secluded place in the garden. She was distracted and was looking afar when she heard a voice.

"Narayan Narayan!"

She turned around to see Narad and greeted him.

"Pranam Devarshi. Please come and take a seat."

He sat down and asked her to sit with him as well.

"What happened, Devi? Why is your face so gloom?" he asked her.

"The reason is well known to you, Devarshi. Mahadev left. Kam Dev was killed. I don't what to do now!"

"Devi, you don't need to worry about Kam Dev. On Rati's plea, Mahadev has blessed Kam Dev to be Anang or Formless and he will be born later in Dwapar as Lord Krishna's son."

Parvati smiled at this. She had somehow felt responsible for Kam Dev's death. Now she was relieved but still her heart ached as she thought about the incident. How Shiva left despite her best efforts.
Seeing her silence, Narad said.

"Devi, why are you worrying about Mahadev leaving? Wherever he may go, at the end of the day he has to come back to you only. You are his Shakti for whom he had been waiting for years, he can never go away from you."

"What are you talking about, Devarshi?" Parvati asked, a bit confused.

"To know Shiva, you have to first know his past and yours as well for both of your lives have been combined since the beginning. To understand Shiva, you first have to know yourself."

He then began narrating.

"Long ago, Daksha, Father Brahma's son and my elder brother had done great penance of the Goddess Adi Shakti and as a result, she was born as his youngest daughter. She was my niece. Her name was Sati. She was an exceptional young woman. She was beautiful, intelligent. But Shiva and Shakti were always meant to be together so destiny had played her dice and Shiva and Sati had eventually met and fallen in love. But the main problem was Daksha's tremendous hatred for Shiva. He never wanted Sati to marry him but fate had other plans. "

As Narad kept narrating Sati's story, Parvati closed her eyes and she could visualise what he was saying. She saw a young woman meeting an ascetic whom she could identify as Shiva but she couldn't see the woman. She saw how she struggled and went against her father and eventually married him. She saw the wedding. Their smiles, their tears but she still couldn't see her face. She didn't know why she was seeing it.

"They were happy" Narad continued, "but it didn't last long. One day, Daksha organised for a huge yagna and invited everyone except Shiva and Sati. Upset and hurt, Sati went to her father's house against Shiva's wishes."

In her mind, she could see Shiva's pleading eyes as he requested her not to go but Sati was stubborn. Then she took the form of ten goddesses and finally she bid him a tearful goodbye as she left for the yagna. Nandi was with her. Then she saw the happenings at the yagna. Daksha insulted Shiva and Sati despite how much she tried to make him understand. Then Sati became furious and cursed everyone present there and then announced that she would leave her body in which she has heard Shiva's insult. The body she had got from a father like Daksha. Parvati could feel her pain. With a final farewell to her Shiva, Sati closed her eyes and her body bursted into flames. Parvati could feel the heat and pain in herself. As she was burning, her face became clear and she was shocked. It was none other than Parvati herself. Her exact face. Her same voice. It was her. As Sati fell dead, Parvati opened her eyes and tears streamed wild down her face. She remembered everything. Her past life. Her true self.

Narad stopped in his words as he saw Parvati's face.

"I can narrate the rest of the story Devarshi because I am Sati! After Mahadev destroyed the yagna and father was beheaded, he came and mourned by death. He grasped onto my lifeless body as he started to wonder around the universe aimlessly untill brother Narayan cut my body into fifty one pieces which fell here on Earth. Then he went into samadhi. Am I right, Devarshi? "

Parvati said as she was already crying. The memories of her past life, her existence as Shakti came rushing back to her. She finally understood Shiva's behavior. All this while, he too yearned for her. Cared for her. Loved her. He merely wanted to protect her and that is why he kept her away.

"Mata! You are Parmeshwari. How can you be wrong? You have finally remembered yourself. You saved all of us!" Narad said as he stood and joined his hands in respect for the divine mother.

"No Devarshi. Just remembering myself isn't enough. I have to attain myself as complete Shakti on my own which I had failed to do last time and the only way I can do this is by following the path of my Shiva. I will to start my Sadhana in order to attain him. I will do everything to bring him to me. "

Parvati's voice was resolved. Narad greeted her once more and left as Parvati proceeded on her path of self realization.