What do we know of the lives of Parvati's sisters Ekaparna & Ekapatala?

Question

The Vayu Purana mentions Parvati as having four sisters:

मैनाकचैव दौहित्रो दौहित्री च तथा ह्युमा ।
एकपर्णा तथा चैव तथा या चैकपाटला ॥ ४ ॥

गङ्गा चैव सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा सर्वासां पूर्वजा तथा ।
पूर्वमेव मयोद्दिष्टं शृणुत्वं मम सर्वशः ॥ ५ ॥

---

(Who are the Pitrs) whose grandson was Maināka and whose grand-daughters were Umā, Ekaparnā, Ekapātala and Gargā, the excellent among all rivers and the ancestral domain of all? As enunciated by me earlier, you may know that all (again).

I also came across the following passage in the Harivamsha:

The king of the mountains had three daughters through Mena: Aparna, Ekaparna and Ekapatala as the third. These three performed austerities that were extremely difficult even for the gods and the danavas. They thus tormented the worlds, with their mobile and immobile objects. Ekaparna had only a single leaf for food. Ekapatala only ate a single patala flower. One of them ate nothing at all. Miserable and driven by maternal affection, her mother said, “Uma” and tried to restrain her. The goddess, the performer of extremely difficult austerities, was thus addressed by her mother. In the three worlds, the beautiful one came to be known as Uma.

The great-souled and intelligent Asita-Devala was a great brahmana and a preceptor of yoga. Ekaparna was given to him as a wife.

Know that, in a similar way, Ekapatala was bestowed on Jaigishavya.

We know enough stories about Ganga but does any other scripture mention any details about the other two sisters of Uma and their spouses?

Answer 1

Yes, the Brahma Purana mentions them too. It's essentially the same story, but it offers a few more details. Brahma Purana Chapter 32:

Brahma said:

81] After saying this I vanished there itself. In due course of time the lord of the mountains begot of Mena three daughters Aparṇā, Ekaparṇā and Ekapāṭalā.

82-86] These daughters performed great penance. Ekaparṇā ate a leaf of the holy fig tree in the course of a thousand years. Ekapāṭalā ate one leaf of the Pāṭala tree in the course of a thousand years. Their penance continued for a hundred thousand years. It was such a penance as could not be performed by either Devas or Dānavas.

Aparṇā completely abstained from food. Her mother said to her forbidding such a course. She was distressed due to her motherly affection. She said “U mā” (O, not). The gentle lady who performed such a difficult penance was thus addressed by her mother. Hence, she became known by that name. She was honoured by Devas.

87] Thus the universe of mobile and immobile beings had this noble set of the three virgins. The story of the austerities of these virgins will be told as long as the Earth lasts.

88] All those three maidens adopted Yogic means. Penance itself sustained their bodies. All of them were highly blessed. All of them had perpetual youth.

89] They are the mothers of worlds and celibate ladies. By means of penance they bless the worlds.

90] The fair-complexioned Umā was the eldest and the most excellent among them. She was endowed with great Yogic power. She went over to Great Lord as his spouse.

91] Dattaka was the son of Uśanas. His son was a scion of family of Bhṛgu. Ekaparṇā bore a son Devala to him.

92] The third of those girls Ekapāṭalā approached Jaigīṣavya, son of Alarka as his spouse.

93-94] Śaṅkha and Likhita are known as her two sons not born of the womb.

To summarize:

• They were virgins
• They were perpetually youthful
• Ekaparna's son was also named Devala
• Ekaptala had two sons, named Sankha and Likhita, who were born in an unspecified but atypical manner (There also seem to have been two rishis of the same name in the Mahabharata)