Pārvatī (Skt., ‘daughter of the mountain’). Also called Umā or Gaurī. A beautiful benign Goddess in Hinduism, the wife of Śiva and daughter of the mountain Himālaya whose mythology is found in the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas. Their marriage is a model of male dominance with Pārvatī docilely serving her husband, though this is also a model of the way a mortal should serve the god. Although at one level subservient, there is behind Pārvatī the power of the Goddess (Devī) who is thought to be beyond the gods.

Parvati In Hindu mythology, the wife of the god Shiva in one of her more benevolent aspects as a mountain goddess. Parvati is also the mother of the elephant-headed god Ganesh and his brother Skanda. She is generally depicted as a young woman.

Parvati in Hindu mythology, a benevolent goddess, wife of Shiva, mother of Ganesha and Skanda, often identified in her malevolent aspect with Durga and Kali. The name comes from Sanskrit Pārvatī, literally ‘daughter of the mountain’.