The Puranas make much of Siva-Parvati’s ideal family life and harmonious relationship; Siva’s passion for Parvati and their love-lore that rocks Kailash mountains. Many housewives celebrate Gauri to ensure the husband’s well being family welfare. The Puranic versions are that Siva is not only a romantic lover, but a friend, philosopher, guide and guru to Parvati. They love each other so much that Parvati becomes a part of Siva, the left side and in that we have Ardhanareshvara. So, the Puranas are successful in some way to portray the Yoga between Siva and Parvati.
Now, that is the primary purpose of the Puranic legends. One is to see the legends metaphorically. These depictions stretch all the way from earthly romance and copulation to a profound metaphor. The celestial Yoga of Siva and Parvati represent the Cosmic Union between male and female principles of the entire universe, for all of creation.
One is provoked by the Puranic events of romance and wedding to seek his own spiritual wedding with Them. Prayers and spiritual contemplation of Them in any meaningful manner is offering oneself as bride or groom and look forward to a Union with God. Otherwise the Puranas stay as stories.
The spiritual Union of Siva and Parvati can also be explained in terms of Para Siva and Para Shakti. Siva is the physical manifestation of Para-Siva and Parvati that of Para-Shakti. In their unmanifest forms they are inseparable just as one lot of wind is not separate from another. One may describe wind to be east-ward or north-ward etc but Jyoti and Vayu are directionless.
But the Puranic manifest versions of Siva-Shakti with attributes render it easier to understand the unmanifest. Shakti is the one that gives the form of power and even Shiva is unable to move without Her. Life becomes inert and we need this power to see, hear, feel, think and breathe. We also need someone to tame the ego in just as Parvati tames the ‘unpredictable madman’ in Siva.
So, in their Uma-Mahesvara dalliance, ecstasy and sexual bliss, they are also compassionately looking down upon their children. One is to go beyond the Puranic legends of Siva and Parvati peeping down at earth. The predominant spiritual despondency of the spiritual seeker is yoga. In this state, one sees the romance and Union of the objective character of Prakriti and subjective consciousness perceived as Purusha. But consciousness is never an object and Prakriti is never a subject.
So in the Cosmic romance and Union, the soul or the ultimate living entity is known as Purusha. Energy in various mental and physical forms is known as Prakriti. Here, God is the Parama Purusha giving the romance a form for human perception. But the world of perception is total illusion. Even at their manifest level Siva and Sakti are beyond human comprehension, let alone their romance and Yoga. But we all like to feel that God is watching over us. Do please yourself!
Hara Hara Mahadeva. by Yogi Ananda Saraswathi