Parvati’s vow of chanting

parvati’s vow of cHanting

From Padma Purānā

In the sixth canto, chapter 254, of the Padma Purāṇa, Bhagavan Vyasa recounts how Parvati once appealed to the great sage Vamadev to initiate her into the worship of Lord Vishnu. Thus requested by the goddess, Vamadev gave her the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotram. Parvati then began to daily worship Vishnu in the morning by chanting the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma. A few days later, Parvati offered her obeisances to the sage and returned to her abode. There, on a charming peak of Mount Kailasa, Shankar Mahadeva was seated after having worshiped Lord Vishnu on the dvādaśī day. Seeing that his wife had returned, he told her, “O goddess worshiped by all of the three worlds, come and eat with me.”

Parvati replied, “O my lord, you may go ahead. I shall take my meal only after I have completed my chanting of the thousand names of Vishnu.”

Smiling, Lord Shiva said, “O Parvati, you are fortunate and blessed. You are Vishnu’s devotee. O goddess! Without good fortune it is very difficult to obtain devotion to Vishnu.

rāma rāmeti rāmeti rame rāme manorame sahasra-nāma tat-tulyaṁ rāma-nāma varānane

“I am reciting, ‘Rama’, ‘Rama’, ‘Rama’. I delight in the name of Rama, which attracts my mind. O woman with a lovely face, Rama’s name is equal to the thousand names of Vishnu. (20)

rā-kārādini nāmāni śṛṇvato mama pārvatī
manaḥ prasannatāṁ yāti rāma-nāmābhiśaṅkayā rāmety uktvā mahādevi bhuṅksva sārdhaṁ mayādhunā

“O Parvati, whenever I hear a name that begins with the syllable ‘rā’ my mind becomes pleased, expecting it be be the name of Lord Rama. O goddess, chant the name of Rama and come and eat with me.” Parvati uttered the holy name of Lord Rama and then took her meal with Shankar.” (21)

— Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Padma Purāṇa. Nag Publishers. Delhi. 2003. Sanskrit.