Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 22
पार्वतीबाल्यलीलावर्णनम् — Description of Pārvatī’s Childhood/Birth Festivities
कन्दुकैः कृत्रिमैः पुत्रैस्सखीमध्यगता च सा । गंगासैकतवेदीभिर्बाल्ये रेमे मुहुर्मुहुः
kandukaiḥ kṛtrimaiḥ putraissakhīmadhyagatā ca sā | gaṃgāsaikatavedībhirbālye reme muhurmuhuḥ
Thuở ấu thơ, giữa vòng bạn gái vây quanh, nàng vui thích mãi không thôi—chơi bóng và những món đồ chơi giả tưởng, lại đắp những bàn thờ nhỏ bằng cát sông Hằng như một phần trò chơi ngây thơ của mình.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse frames Pārvatī’s bālya-līlā as a preparatory purity (śuddhi) for later tapas and union with Śiva.
Significance: Models sāttvika saṃskāra: even play becomes proto-pūjā (sand-vedī), cultivating bhakti and ritual instinct.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It portrays Pārvatī’s innate purity and devotional tendency: even as a child she plays in ways that resemble simple worship (forming little altars), foreshadowing her mature tapas and Saguna-bhakti that culminate in union with Śiva, the Pati who grants liberation.
The verse shows the seed of Saguna-upāsanā—using tangible symbols (like a small altar) as a focus for reverence. In Shaiva practice, such outward supports mature into dedicated worship of Śiva, often centered on the Liṅga as the accessible form of the Supreme.
A simple takeaway is to cultivate childlike steadiness in daily worship: create a clean worship space (a small “vedī”), offer with sincerity, and remember Śiva through mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), even in ordinary moments.