Shiva Parvati Ganesh
In Sanatan Dharma, as explained in the Bhagavad Gita, there is only one Supreme God. However, the Lord expands Himself as incarnations and avatars, and descends to our material world in order to conduct His missions.
Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.45
kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogāt
sañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ
yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryād
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
क्षीरं यथा दधि विकारविशेषयोगात् सञ्जायते न हि ततः
पृथग् अस्ति हेतोः याः शम्भूतं अपि तथा समुपैति कार्याद् गोविन्दम् आदि-पुरुषं तं अहं भजामि
Just as milk is transformed into curd by the action of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither same as, nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the primaeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Śambhu is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction.
Shiva
When the Supreme Lord wants to be in touch with this world, He transforms Himself into Lord Shiva.
Shiva is superior to Brahma, who is an empowered soul (jiva), but Shiva is not quite on the same level as Vishnu. It is therefore said that Shiva is a unique living being who merits his own category, known as Shiva-tattva.
The Bhagavatam (12.13.16) declares Lord Shiva to be the greatest of all Vaishnavas: vaishnavanam yatha shambhuh. Lord Shiva’s special position, his post, his personality, and his activities are fascinating to know.
Lord Shiva is considered the father of this universe, and material nature, or goddess Durga, is considered the mother. Shiva is neither the Supreme Lord nor a jiva (an infinitesimal spirit soul, the category to which we belong). Shiva is the form through which the Supreme Lord works to inject the living entities (jivas) into this material world.
Parvati
Shiva’s wife is Shakti, who is also called Parvati. She has many other names such as Devi, Durga and “The Goddess”. She is Mother Nature; she is kind but also can seem to be cruel. Parvati is shown with two arms, (often holding a blue lotus in her right hand).
When she comes as Durga, she rides a lion and has ten arms, carrying lots of different weapons. Shiva and Parvati have two sons – Ganesh and Skanda.
The day when Shiva and Parvati got married is celebrated on a festival called Maha Shiva Ratri. It happens in February or March.
Durga Devi is the presiding deity of this material world. It is also believed that the person who is getting diverted from the spiritual world of Lord Krishna and going against the rules, they sent to this material world of Goddess Durga. The comparison of this material world is made with Durg, a type of Fort.
When a person comes to this material world, they have to face many sufferings like birth, death, old age, diseases, etc.
Therefore, worshipping Goddess Durga will help them get rid of these sufferings. However, if you want a permanent solution, you have to come out of this material world and worship the Supreme Lord.
Ganesh
Ganesh is the deity with an elephant’s head. He has quite a chubby body because he eats a lot, especially sweets. He has four arms and holds an axe, a rope for tying elephants and a lotus flower. He sometimes carries a small round sweet, or he is shown with a whole bowl of sweets. With one hand, he gives blessings (good luck) to those who worship him. Ganesh is able to get rid of obstacles – the things that get in our way. He is worshipped before starting anything important, material or spiritual.
Ganesh always dresses in very expensive clothes. He wears a garland made of flowers. He rides on a rat (which is small and Ganesh is quite big!)
Resources:
- The pastimes of Lord Ganesh https://youtu.be/MSAulUx6Wqg
- Position of Durgamata (Parvati) https://youtu.be/6d1O3lOE1YU
- Pastimes of Lord Shiva https://youtu.be/dZMK-wKuYnU
- Inauguration of Shiva Parvati https://youtu.be/B-_XKSlNy5g