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ICONOGRAPHY OF THE HINDUS, BUDDHISTS AND JAINS
Another account of the Ardhanāri form states that Parvati, the consort of Siva became one with him when the rishi Bhringi persisted in offering worship to Siva alone and not to Siva and Pārvati both as others did.
11. Harihara Form of Siva (Pls. 65-66)
There is in rcality only one supreme deity. God is one. People may call him by different names. To some he may be Brahmā, to some Vishnu and to some Siva, but they are really all one. But sometimes the worshippers of these various forms forget this and then they engage in sectarian quarrels. To avoid this and to emphasise the oneness of God, this syncretic god came into being-the combination of Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Śiva). In a sculpture of Harihara or Haryaddha, the right half is Siva and the left half is Vishnu.
fore, it was necessary to get Siva married. Käma, the God of Love, was deputed by the gods to break Siva's penance, which he did. But he became the victim of Siva's anger and got burnt up in the process. Kāma, however, had succeeded in making Siva feel amorous. Siva married Pärvati. (See page 42, Kämäntaka-murti.)
Before he did this, he decided to test the stead. fastness of Pärvati, and taking the form of an old man, he approached her, begging for food. As he proceeded to take a bath, he contrived to get caught by a crocodile and called out to Pärvati for help. Pärvati hesitated to stretch out her arm to help as she had vowed not to touch any hand but that of Siva. But when she feared the old Brahmin's life might be lost, she begged forgiveness of her Lord and extended her arm for help. Siva was much gratified at this and revealed his true form. Pärvati felt happy that her vow had not been broken.
12. Kalyanasundara-mūrti (the Marriage of siva
and Pārvall) (Pls. 67-70a, b, c)
A famous Saiva legend narrated in the Santi Parva of the epic Mahabharata tells us how Daksha, one of the twelve Prajapatis created by Brahma, cursed his own son-in-law, Siva, when the latter failed to show him proper respect on the occasion of the Prajapati sacrifice. Before the entire assembly of the gods he declared that henceforth no oblations were to be offered to Siva. When Daksha performed another sacrifice, he did not invite Siva. Siva's wife Sati felt greatly humiliated at this. She alleged that her husband did nothing to vindicate his honour. Śiva tried to pacify his angry spouse by telling her that those who knew, knew that he was the Supreme Deity. The Devi refused to be pacified and taunted her spouse by saying, 'Every common man praises himself in an assembly of women.' She then proceeded to attend the sacrifice of her father, where she was again humiliated; whereupon, she burnt herself. Greatly incensed, Siva created Virabhadra, who destroyed Daksha's sacrifice and made him submit to Siva.
Sati was re-born the daughter of Himavan. As soon as she attained age, she started penance to attain Siva. Śiva also was then engaged in practising severe austerities. At about this time the demon Täraka began to harass the gods armed with the boon of Brahma. This demon was destined to die at the hands of the son of Siva and, there
Sculptural Representations In the sculptures of the Siva-Pärvati marriage the two form the central figures and face the east. In composite stone sculptures, Vishnu and his two wives, Lakshmi and Bhu, act as Pärvati's parents and give away the bride. Vishnu's wives stand behind Pārvati and touch her waist, which is indicative of the act of giving away the bride. Vishnu stands behind Siva and Parvati, holding a golden pot of water. In the foreground are sculptured the eight guardians of the Quarters (Astadik pālās), the Siddhas (persons of great power), Yakshas (semi-divine beings), other semidivine beings called Gandharvas, the Seven Divine Mothers (the Sapta-matỊikās) etc. However, all sculptural compositions may not be so complete. In bronzes, only Śiva and Parvati are usually seen.
In the standing figures of Siva taking the hand of Pärvati in marriage, the latter generally stands on the right of the god whose front right arm holds Parvati's hand. If, however, Pärvati stands on the left, Siva's right arm is stretched across the body to clasp her hand.
13. Vrishabhārudha-mūrti (Siva Seated or Re
clining on a Bull)
The sculpture is highly venerated since it is believed that it is in this form that Siva most frequently appears before his devotees.
