The Story of Parvati and Her Loyal Lion

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and kind princess named Parvati. She was the daughter of Himavan, the king of mountains. Parvati loved Lord Shiva and wanted to marry him. To show her devotion, Parvati decided to meditate and pray to Lord Shiva for a very long time.

Parvati found a peaceful place on a mountain and sat down to meditate. She closed her eyes and thought of Lord Shiva with all her heart. She stayed very still and calm, focusing only on her prayers.

One day, a hungry lion wandered by. He was looking for food and spotted Parvati sitting alone. But something about Parvati’s calm and peaceful presence made the lion stop. He felt drawn to her and decided to wait. The lion sat quietly, watching Parvati as she continued her meditation.

Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Parvati stayed deep in her meditation, and the lion kept waiting beside her. Slowly, the lion forgot his hunger and was filled with devotion for the kind and gentle Parvati.

Finally, after many years, Lord Shiva was moved by Parvati’s devotion and appeared before her. He promised to marry her, and Parvati opened her eyes. She was surprised to see the lion still there, sitting patiently beside her, as if he had been waiting forever.

Parvati felt touched by the lion’s loyalty and patience. She saw that he, too, had waited and prayed in his own way, showing devotion just like hers. Smiling, she blessed the lion and said, “From now on, you will be my companion. You will always be with me, carrying me wherever I go.”

And so, the lion became Parvati’s vaahana, her loyal friend and protector. From that day, the brave lion, Simha, has been by Goddess Parvati’s side, as her trusted and devoted companion.

And that is how Simha, the mighty lion, became the vaahana of the kind and powerful Goddess Parvati.

Sati, reborn as Parvati, daughter of Himavan or Parvata raja had to do a very intense penance to get Lord Shiva as her husband. When she was doing her meditation taking Lord Shiva’s name, a hungry lion passing by happened to hear her.

The lion came to eat her up but ended up waiting for her to complete her meditation. It is said that many many years passed by before Lord Shiva was pleased and appeared before Parvati. Once the Lord promised to marry Parvati, she opened her eyes only to see the lion asleep, unintentionally in penance waiting for Parvati to wake up.

The Goddess was very pleased with the devotion of this lion and gives the privilege of being her Vahana or vehicle.