Gauri Shankar is an epitome of love, harmony, devotion and an example of perfect companionship.
|| ॐ श्री गौरि शंकराये नमः ||
(Aum shri gauri shankraye namha)
Namaste!
Welcome our reader! You must be wondering why I have a mantra at the begining? This mantra is dedicated to Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati as Gauri Shankar. We are presenting you with the best of knowledge on Gauri Shankar in this blog.
Introduction
Gauri Shankar is the name given to Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. Hinduism believes that Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri are an ideal and a divine couple.
Who is Gauri?
Gauri is another name for goddess Parvati, who is the consort of Lord Shiva. After the death of Devi Sati, Lord Shiva was in great pain and sorrow.
Thenafter, goddess Parvati was born as reincarnation of Devi Sati. She did great penance to get Lord Shiva as her husband.
Although, her many years long penance made her a dark skinned person. Later, when she was blessed to meet the man of her dreams, she prayed for golden complexion. At this, Lord Brahma blessed her with golden skin and named her Gauri which means woman with fair skin.
Who is Shankar?
Lord Shiva is called Shankar. Shankar is the Hindi word derived from shankara which means a person who brings out the auspiciousness or giver of bliss.
Gauri Shankar – a Divine Couple
Gauri Shankar is a name given to this divine couple.Their relationship is highly worshipped and recognise the divine union of masculine and feminine energies in the universe.
According to the legends, goddess Parvati is an incarnation of Adi Shakti, the supreme feminine power of universe.
Goddess Parvati was born as the daughter of Himalaya, the king of the mountains. Goddess Parvati was goddess Sati in her earlier rebirth. She took away her life by jumping in the Havana, in an assembly by her father, king Yaksh.
Moreover, on this, Lord Shiva was furious and did tandav. He carried the dead body of goddess Sati to whole universe. Likewise, all the body parts of Sati fell on different locations. And, these locations became holy pilgrimage, known as Shaktipeeth.
Devi Parvati won the heart of Lord Shiva through her penance and devotion. Firstly, Lord Shiva was a recluse and used to perform in meditation. Later Hindu god Shiva got happy with her penance and married Hindu goddess Gauri. Their union gave the world a set example of love, harmony, devotion and companionship.
Purusha & Prakriti as Gauri Shankar
Lord Shankar and Goddess Gauri represent the cosmic principles of Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (nature) respectively. Especially, their union is seen as the perfect balance of complementary forces in the process of creation.
Althought shaivianites (followers of Lord Shiva) worship Lord Shankar and Goddess Gauri for their qualities of strength, purity, wisdom and grace. They are regarded as the divine parents of the universe and are worshipped as the source of all creation.
Apparently we are going to witness two shravan mas this year starting from July 7th, 2023. Shravan mas is the first month of chaturmas, a period totally dedicated to bhakti. As Lord Vishnu goes into Yog Nidra, so the responsibility of universe falls on Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva takes care of entire creation, maintenance and destrucrion of universe.
The entire cosmo is charged with energies of Lord Shiva. Further, married woman and unmarried girls do perform shravan somvar puja and manlga gauri puja to be blessed with happy married life.
Significance of Gauri Shankar
Gauri Shankar is referred as the perfect couple all over the world. Promptly, Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati represents the great symbolism and significance in Hinduism.
Majestic Union of Gauri Shankar
Namely, Shaivianites believe that the creation of universe lies in the hands of this majestic union of purusha and prakriti. Infact, Lord Shankar represents the masculine energy (Purusha), while Goddess Gauri represents the feminine energy (Prakriti). Thus, they are a perfect match of the perfect balance and harmony between these cosmic forces.
Gauri Shankar: Complementing each other
Lord Shiva is a god of yogi, celibate and controlled person. However, goddess Parvati is embodiment of love, energy, nourishment, softness and represents the true reflection of motherhood. Together, they represent the inseparable union of the male and female aspects of divinity. Moreover Gauir Shankar complements each ither in process of creation and existence.
Gauri Shankar worship for marital bliss
In India, devotees worship Gauri Shankar for the marital bliss and happy life after marriage. Even, during panigrah samskara (we have written a blog on samskara) of Hinduism, Gauri Shankar are reverved at large. In addition to Gauri Shankar, there is Ardhnarishwar awatar too. Ardhnarishwar is an amalgamation of these two divine powers when they become one.
However, married couples worship Gauri Shankar to be blessed with the love and bond as strong as Gauri Shankar.
Religious and Spiritual significance
Promptly, the divine couple represents the path to spiritual enlightenment and self-realization. As their love is not bound by physical love, their bond is spiritually inclined. Goddess Gauri won over Lord Shiva through her penance and devotion with aparna (she stopped eating even leaves later in her penance).
Religiously speaking, many spinsters and bachelors who wish to have a suitable match are advised to worship Gauri Shankar.
Infact, shravan mass of Hindu panchang is considered apt and auspicious to worship Gauri Shankar for marital bliss. Likewise, couples are advised by astrology experts to worship the divine duo to get eternal blessings of Goddess Gauri for marital betterment and growth. Married women perform mangla gauri puja on every Tuesday of Shawan maas.
In the same way, unmarried girls who are having troubles in getting married are advised to have Gauri Shankar puja. Also, there are rudraksha dedicated and named after Gauri Shankar. These rudraksha are advised by astrologers and pandits for blissful marital life. Indeed these rudraksh are available in online and offline markets.
Specifically, goddess Sita from epic Ramayana and Rukmini from Bhagvad Purana also performed gauri puja.
Conclusion
Lord Shiva is considered as perfect husband and perfect father to run the universe with his calibre and strength . While, goddess Parvati symbolises as perfect wife and mother who nourishes the universe with utmost love, care, harmony and devotion. Their union signifies the merging of individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. Gauri Shankar truly symbolises the life journey towards unity and transcendence by portraying the ideals of love, balance and spiritual union.
Have a blessed day ahead.
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