Goddess Parvati's unparalleled compassion

* Goddess Parvati's unparalleled compassion * 

Parvati did austerity to attain Bhagvan Shankar. Shankar manifested and Parvati had His vision. He accepted the proposal to marry her and vanished. At that very time a crocodile in the pond at some distance from there, caught a boy. The boy was screaming. When Parvati heard the screaming she was alert to realize that the boy was screaming in agony shouting, “Save me, save me, --- there is no one in this world to look after me, --save me!” Hearing the boy’s cries and painful screaming Parvati felt compassion for that boy and she rushed to the spot. She saw ‘A crocodile had caught the leg of a small delicate boy and she was dragging him along with her.’ The boy was crying saying, “I do not have anyone in this world, no mother, no father, no friends, no one. Save me!”

Parvati said, “O, crocodile (Magar) ! O, Magardevata (Deity) ! Please leave this boy.”

Crocodile : I am destined to accept whatever comes before me as my food in the part of the day and Brahmadev has sent this boy at this destined time for me. So why should I leave him?

Parvati : O, crocodile, leave him and ask for anything in his return.

Crocodile : If you offer me the fruit of the austerity undertaken by you to please Shankar and for which you are being blessed by Shankar, then I will leave him otherwise, no !

Parvati : What are you talking! I am ready to sacrifice the fruit of the austerity not only of this birth but also of the earlier births ; but leave the boy now.

Crocodile : Think twice, do not make a resolve in excitement.
Parvati : I have thought about it carefully.

The crocodile made Parvati to make a resolve of surrendering the fruit of the austerity . As soon as the fruit of the austerity was offered, the whole body of the crocodile started shining brightly. She left the boy and said, “O, Parvati, my whole body has become so beautiful due to the potency of your austerity; as if I am glowing. You sacrificed your whole life’s achievement for a small boy!”

Parvati said, “O, crocodile, I can do penance again; but could I get this innocent boy again, once you had swallowed him?” Suddenly the boy vanished. That crocodile too vanished. Parvati thought, ‘Now that I have given away my austerity, let me start again my penance.’ Parvati sat for penance. She meditated for some time and suddenly Samb Sadashiv manifested before her and said, “Parvati, why the penance now?” Parvati said, “O, God, I have sacrificed my penance.”

Bhagvan Shankar said, “Parvati I was the one in the form of that crocodile and that boy too was me only. I had this Divine Play just to test you to find out whether you have affinity towards living beings or not. I am the one and the only one existing in many forms. I am present in many bodies, but different from a body, I am ‘Atma’ (Soul) without body. You are great to have such spiritual emotion (Bhav) towards living beings!”