Lord Shiva, a prominent deity in Hinduism, is part of the Holy Trinity, along with Brahma and Vishnu. Known as the Lord of Destruction, Shiva plays a vital role in maintaining cosmic balance, essential for the cycle of creation and regeneration.
In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is revered as the invincible Absolute Being, transcending dualities and limitations. While some texts describe him as self-born and beyond origination, others mention his parents. Regardless, Shiva is worshiped for his divine attributes and powers, believed to bring benefits and protection to his devotees.
Often depicted alongside Goddess Parvati, Shiva’s consort, Lord Shiva’s sons are well-known, but his daughters are less spoken of. This article explores the daughters of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
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Daughters of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
Ashoka Sundari
Also known as Anvi, Lavanya, Viraja, and Bala Tripura Sundari, Ashoka Sundari is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The name Ashoka indicates relief of Parvati’s sorrow (shok) while Sundari refers to her elegant beauty. In the southern part of India, the Goddess is worshiped as Bala Tripurasundari.
But what’s the origin of Ashok Sundari?
Based on a version of Nahusha legend, Parvati once requested Shiva to come along with her to visit the world’s most beautiful garden, Nandanvana. Shiva accepted her request and they together left for Nandavana. Upon reaching here, Parvati came across the Kalpavriksha, a sacred tree, rumored to fulfill one’s desires.
Parvati, who was suffering from the feeling of loss and loneliness after her son Kartikeya grew up and left Kailash Parbat, thought of asking for a wish from the Kalpavriksha. And to relieve herself from the gloominess, she wished for a daughter and that is when Ashoksundari was born.
Seeing Ashoksundari, Parvati said that one day, she will one day marry the Nahusha of the lunar dynasty, whose power would be equal to that of Indra, ruler of heaven.
Although Ashoksundari is quite worshipped in the southern region and in many parts of Gujarat, she is lesser known if compared to Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya. However, there have been instances validating her existence in the legendary episode of Lord Shiva beheading Ganesha’s head where she was hiding behind a sack of salt. It’s said that upon learning about Ganesha’s fate, Parvati became quite furious. In the heat of anger, she also cursed Ashok Sundari (who was hiding behind the salt sack) to become a part of the salt itself.
However, once Ganesha’s head was restored, she also relieved Ashok Sundari from the curse. But ever since then, Ashoksundari has been associated with salt, symbolizing the eternal flavors of life (like salt) without which life would be tasteless.
Jyoti
Jyoti was born from the aura of the light of Lord Shiva and represents the grace that Shiva possessed. She’s mostly associated with her brother Lord Murugan (Kartikeya), the God of war who is believed to have originated from the six sparks emerging from Lord Shiva’s third eye.
Jyoti is present in all the Murugan temples accompanying Lord Murugan as his Vel. More so, you can also see Nataraja (a form of Lord Shiva) holding Jyoti (flame) in one of his hands.
Today, Jyoti is widely worshipped as the Hindu Goddess of light, Goddess Rayaki, Goddess Jwalamukhi. However, in India, she is mainly worshiped in the temples of Tamil Nadu.
Manasa
Mansa is a popular Bengali goddess who is often seen seated on a lotus, adorned with snakes. According to Puranas, the serpent Kadru, Manasa's mother conceived at Shiva’s touch and gave birth to a little girl (Manasa).
She’s often seen with a canopy of seven cobras perched over her head, protecting her from the heat of the sun. Many a time, she’s also depicted holding a baby, who is believed to be her son, Astika.
Goddess Manasa is very compassionate towards her devotees but is also portrayed as ruthless towards others. Her terrible arrogance is attributed to the rejection she faced from her husband father, and even stepmother Parvati.
There’s no as such image of Manasa used to worship her. Rather likewise many traditional goddesses, she is worshipped as a symbol like an earthen pot, a branch of a tree, or a snake figure.
Goddess Manasa is highly worshipped especially during the monsoon season when there are increased chances of snake bitings as she’s revered for providing protection against snake bites, and many other contagious diseases like chickenpox and smallpox. Many devotees also see her as a major fertility deity and seek her blessing during marriage or in cases regarding infertility.
5 Daughters of Lord Shiva as Per Shiva Puran
There’s another famous legend from Shiv Puran which states that Lord Shiva has five daughters. However, what’s important to know here is that they are not completely associated with the above-mentioned 3 daughters of Shiv and Parvati.
The story began when Shiva and Parvati were once out strolling on the earth admiring its beauty. Meanwhile, Goddess Parvati came across a beautiful lake and requested Lord Shiva to spend some playful time in the water. This heavenly union resulted in Lord Shiva ejaculating whereupon he collected his discharge on a leaf and kept it beside the lake. This further led to the origination of five female offspring. However, all these five girls were not human, rather they were born in the form of snake figures and were referred to as Nagakanyaas.
Parvati was completely unaware of the existence of the 5 daughters of Lord Shiva.
On the other hand, Lord Shiva was very fond of his daughters and would regularly go to meet them by the lake. Seeing Mahadev regularly disappear in the morning made Parvati quite curious.
Hereafter, one day, Parvati decided to follow Shiva to the lake to learn about his whereabouts. Upon reaching the place, Parvati witnessed the fatherly nature of Shiva towards the Nagakanyas which made her furious. She attempted to kill them. However, as she was about to strike one of the girls, Mahadev intervened explaining to her that the girls were her daughters.
Goddess Parvati carefully listened to the entire story of how the girls were brought into existence by Shiva.
Takeaway
So, this was all about the daughters of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The stories of both their origin and existence may vary but there are devout followers of each of these Goddesses. Although there’s not much known about them, they are quite popular in specific regions of the country and are highly worshipped therein.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q. Who are the 5 wives of Shiva?
A. Shiva’s consort i.e., Goddess Parvati is revered to have various manifestations as Sati, Uma, Parvati, Durga, and Kali who are all considered the wives of Shiva.
Q. Who is Shiva ex wife?
A. Sati was the first wife of Lord Shiva who reincarnated after her death as Parvati.
Q. Is Kali Shiva's wife?
A. Yes, Kali is said to be the feminine form of Kala (i.e., Lord Shiva) and the Shakti (power) of Lord Shiv without whom he’s incomplete.
Q. Who is Lord Shiva's sister?
A. According to Shiv Puranas, Lord Shiva had a sister named Devi Asavari.
Q. Did Shiva have 3 eyes?
A. Yes, Shiva did have 3 eyes where one symbolized the sun, the other earth, and the third fire.
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