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The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

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Parvati<br />

Parvati with her husband Shiva and their sons Ganesh and Skanda.<br />

504<br />

Parvati by making disparaging remarks<br />

about Shiva’s lifestyle and personality, but<br />

Parvati, unshaken in her resolve, refuses<br />

to listen. Eventually Shiva reveals his true<br />

form to her, and they are married.<br />

Although in his devotion to his wife<br />

Shiva is the Hindu symbol for the ideal<br />

husband, their family life is unusual.<br />

Since Shiva is the symbol for the perfect<br />

ascetic, the couple has no fixed home or<br />

means <strong>of</strong> support, and occasionally<br />

Parvati is portrayed as complaining <strong>of</strong><br />

being an ascetic’s wife. Symbolically, their<br />

marriage represents the domestication <strong>of</strong>

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