Parvati Thousand-Year Tapasya

Dadi**: Guddu beta, what would you do to get something you really, really wanted?

Guddu**: I'd ask nicely? Work hard for it?

Dadi**: What if you had to work for a thousand years? That's what Goddess Parvati did to win Lord Shiva's love.

Guddu**: A thousand years?! That's so long!

Dadi**: It's one of the greatest love stories ever told. But first, you need to know why Parvati loved Shiva.

Guddu**: Tell me!

Dadi**: In a previous life, Parvati was Sati, Shiva's first wife. When her father Daksha insulted Shiva, Sati was so heartbroken that she gave up her body by jumping into a fire.

Guddu**: That's so sad!

Dadi**: Shiva was devastated. He lost all interest in the world. He retreated to the highest mountains to meditate forever, wanting nothing to do with anyone.

Guddu**: Did Sati come back?

Dadi**: She was reborn as Parvati, daughter of Himavan, the king of the mountains. Even as a child, she felt drawn to Shiva without knowing why. Her soul remembered its love.

Guddu**: Did she go to find him?

Dadi**: Her parents tried to discourage her. "He's a wild ascetic who sits in cremation grounds!" they said. "He has snakes around his neck! He smears ash on his body!" But Parvati's love was beyond such concerns.

Guddu**: What did she do?

Dadi**: She announced that she would marry Shiva or no one. And to win him, she would perform tapasya - severe penance - until he noticed her.

Guddu**: Penance to win love?

Dadi**: She wasn't trying to force him, beta. She was purifying herself, making herself worthy of a god who had given up everything. Her mother Mena cried out, "O, Ma! Don't go!" - and this is why Parvati is also called Uma.

Guddu**: That's where her name comes from!

Dadi**: She left her palace and went to a forest retreat. The sage Narada taught her the sacred mantra - "Namah Shivaya" - the five sacred syllables.

Guddu**: And then she started praying?

Dadi**: More than praying - she performed incredible austerities. First, she lived only on fruits. Then only on leaves. Then only on one leaf per day. Then nothing at all!

Guddu**: How did she survive?

Dadi**: Through spiritual power, beta. She stood in freezing rivers in winter. She sat surrounded by fires in summer. She lived exposed to rain and wind without shelter.

Guddu**: For a thousand years?!

Dadi**: Year after year, decade after decade, century after century. The gods watched in amazement. Even Brahma was impressed. And slowly, very slowly, Lord Shiva began to feel something stir in his frozen heart.

Guddu**: He felt her love?

Dadi**: Before accepting her, he tested her. He sent sages to discourage her. He appeared in disguise and spoke badly about himself - "Why do you want such a strange god?" But Parvati's devotion never wavered.

Guddu**: She passed every test!

Dadi**: Finally, Shiva revealed himself. He asked what she wanted after such unbelievable penance. And Parvati simply said, "You. That is all I have ever wanted."

Guddu**: That's so romantic!

Dadi**: Shiva's ice-cold heart melted completely. He agreed to marry her. Their wedding was the greatest celebration the three worlds had ever seen - gods, demons, sages, and creatures of all kinds attended.

Guddu**: So patience wins in the end?

Dadi**: Patience, devotion, and love so pure that it can wait a thousand years. Parvati taught us that true love doesn't demand or force. It simply continues loving, no matter how long it takes.

Guddu**: I don't think I could wait that long!

Dadi**: You might surprise yourself, beta. When you truly love something - a person, a goal, a dream - you find strength you never knew you had.

Guddu**: Goodnight, Dadi. Parvati was really brave.

Dadi**: The bravest, beta. Love gave her courage that even demons don't have. Sweet dreams!