Lissette E. Manning

I’m about to tell you something shocking.  Something you could never have guessed if left to your own devices.  It’s a secret that has hoodwinked the internet since 1998.  Are you ready?

My name is not Pavarti.

Pavarti is a name I chose for myself.  In the history of some cultures children are not named by their parents, but are thought to choose their own name.  An elder or parent will wait until after the child’s birth for the name to be revealed.  If I had lived in that world my name would have been Pavarti.

Tragically that was not the case.  In fact, I’m not even born from a culture which would consider naming a child Pavarti!  Instead I have a nice Middle American name.  But when sharing so much of myself with my readers, when giving away the piece of my soul which resides within each of my stories, it seems only right to do it as Pavarti.

Why does this name resonate so deeply with me?  Pavarti is a respectful invocation of the goddess Parvati.  I aim to honor and channel her without the arrogance of assuming her name.

Parvati is the wife of Shiva and mother of Ganesha in the Hindu religion.  Myth or truth, I don’t claim to know, but my attraction to Parvati has nothing to do with my own spiritual beliefs.  Instead, it’s the archetype she represents which speaks to me so deeply.

Parvati loved Shiva.  However, he mourned the death of his first love and turned his back on the world. Pavarti was determined to win his heart. She became an ascetic.  Soon she was able to create incredible energy in her yoga meditations—enough energy to attract the attention of Brahma, the supreme deity of the Hindu pantheon.

Brahma took pity on Parvati and split her spirit in two, creating Kali the goddess of creation and death and Parvati, the goddess of creativity and love.  They two goddesses are parts of the same whole and can’t exist without each other.

Once she won the love of Shiva, Parvati wanted a child.  But Shiva didn’t want to be bothered with offspring.  Parvati cried and her tears dropped on to a cloth which grew into the form of Ganesha. Shiva came to regret his cruelty and came to find Parvati to apologize. Ganesha didn’t recognize him and blocked his way. Shiva flew into a rage and beheaded him.

Parvati’s grief was so intense Shiva promised to find Ganesha another head.  Shiva could only find an elephant’s head.  Thus Ganesha was reborn as half human, half elephant. He became the Keeper of the Threshold and the God of Good Fortune, an obstacle to all that is undesirable.

His love for Parvati inspired Shiva to once again become concerned for the world. The learning that he had gathered in his meditations ensured that his spiritual energy was channeled for the good of all mankind.

The goddess Parvati represents the part of ourselves that creatively brings forth nourishment even in the midst of what seems to be rejection and disapproval. She is a wonderful affirmation that there are no limits to what a woman can do when she uses her spiritual energy in the pursuit of any goal she chooses.

When we embrace love, the goddess Parvati is there to bless us.

The goddess of love and devotion, an embodiment of the ability of human kind to become more than we are.  Parvati willed a child into being from the strength of her love and won the heart of Shiva by the depth of her devotion.  When I write this is the spirit I call on.  The sister of Kali the destroyer, the fount of creation, Parvati is strong and pure and the power she wields is immense.

So in 1998 when the time came to chose my first email address at excite.com I called upon a tradition that isn’t my own but which speaks to me deeply and birthed Pavarti.

We all have a part of the ancient gods within us, we all have power and magic residing deep inside somewhere.  For those of us who write, we call it the muse.  Others dub it inspiration or the voice of God.  Personally, I don’t know what it is and I don’t care.  All that matters to me is that I honor it.

And so, call me Pavarti, I wear the name with pride.

Synopsis For Pavarti’s Newest Release, Two Moons Of Sera: In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother’s water-borne line, Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?

Available for purchase via the following retailers: Amazon, Smashwords.

About The Author:

Pavarti K. Tyler is a mother of two, a devoted wife, an artist, a dreamer, and a number cruncher. She is on a quest of love to find her own way to friendship, family, and God.

She is currently working on her first novel and planting seeds in her garden. She says that there’s nothing like a little dirt under your nails to keep things in perspective.

Connect With Her Online:

Website: http://www.pavarti.com
Blog: http://pavarti.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PavartiKTyler
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PavartiKTyler
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4741652.Pavarti_K_Tyler
Publishing Company: http://www.fightingmonkeypress.com
Tumblr: http://pavartidevi.tumblr.com
Google+: https://plus.google.com/114980650070862281955