Was Vrinda an aspect of Parvati?

Question

I finished reading the story of Jalandhara in the Shiva Purana and can't shake this one line off. It is the verse where the asura is slain by Shiva.

"His splendour that came out of his body merged into Śiva just like the splendour that came out of the body of Vṛndā and merged into Pārvatī." Verse 52 of https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc226165.html

I think that "splendour" here is just a term to describe the soul, or at least a part of a soul. We know that Jalandhara was an aspect of Shiva, having emerged from his third eye, and so a part of his soul reuniting with him makes sense. Vrinda's soul is stated to have merged with Parvati. Is it a stretch to theorise that Vrinda was an aspect of Parvati, born to Kalanemi and married to Jalandhara as his wife? There is a theme of goddesses incarnating to be consorts of the incarnations of the gods, especially in the Dashavatara. Parvati realising that Vrinda's chastity was what was keeping Jalandhara safe would also make sense, seeing that Vrinda was an aspect of her and she would understand her thought process. Vrinda is the shakti behind Jalandhara, just as Parvati is the shakti behind Shiva.

The only part of this that seems out of piece then is Parvati explicitly asking Vishnu to violate Vrinda and take her chastity. Why would she ask for an aspect of herself to get violated? Maybe she realises that there is no other choice, recognising that if she is, in fact, an aspect of her, that made her immensely powerful and had to be eliminated for her consort to defeat hers.

For me, the most revelatory speculation is that this exonerates Vishnu from having deceitful sex with Vrinda. Because Parvati sought out Vishnu to make love to a woman who was her, that would make the act (questionably) wholly consensual, never mind the fact that Vrinda was deceived and their infidelity with their consorts. In the grand scheme of things, Vishnu and Parvati made frantic love for a few days in the forest to save the world. There is also an ironic twist in this interpretation because Jalandhara's war with Shiva and his subsequent downfall was unnecessary, since he already (questionably) had an aspect of Parvati as his wife.

What do you think? Vrinda = Parvati?

Answer 1

Ok, just hold your bizzare horses man. Let's see some verses. To know the one ness (advaitam) of every one. Rest are all maya.

“puṃliṅgaṃ sarvamīśānaṃ strīliṅgaṃ bhagavatyumā | umārudrātmikāḥ sarvāḥ grajāḥ sthāvarajaṅgamāḥ ||” (Rudrahridaya Upanishad 9)

“The masculine gender is Lord Shiva. The feminine gender is Bhagavati Uma. All the mobile and immobile creation of this universe is filled up with Uma and Rudra”.

According to Rudra Hridaya Upanishad.:

“All the mobile and immobile creation of this universe, is filled up with Uma and Rudra. The Vyakta is Sri Uma, and the Avyakta is Lord Siva."

"Do Kirtan of His name, ‘Rudra’, ‘Rudra’. By singing like this, the hallowed name of this great Lord, all your sins will be destroyed. Rudra is man. Uma is woman. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Brahma. Uma is Sarasvati. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Vishnu. Uma is Lakshmi. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Sun (Aditya). Uma is shadow. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is moon (Soma). Uma is star. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is day. Uma is night. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Yajna. Uma is Vedi. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Agni, Uma is Svaha. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Veda. Uma is Sastra. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is tree. Uma is creeper. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is scent. Uma is flower. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is meaning. Uma is word. Prostrations to Him and Her. Rudra is Linga. Uma is Pitha. Prostrations to Him and Her." ( Rudra hridaya upanishad ).

"Maheshwara (Great Lord Shiva) who is Black and yellow (Krishna Punglam) rules with Avidya, Maya or Mula-Prakriti (Goddess Bhuvaneshwari), which is Red (Maha Lakshmi as Rajas), White (Maha Saraswati as Sattva) & black (Maha Kali as Tamas) & that is co-existed with him (as his consorts) [Shandilya Upanishad 3:01]

Svet Up.:

अजामेकां लोहितशुक्लकृष्णां बह्वीः प्रजाः सृजमानां सरूपाः । अजो ह्येको जुषमाणोऽनुशेते जहात्येनां भुक्तभोगामजोऽन्यः ॥५॥

iv.5. Unborn, one, red, white and black, you create many offspring similar in form to you. One unborn (jiva) lies there enjoying her and the other unborn (maheshwara) having enjoyed, gives her up.

“maayaa.n tu prakR^iti.n vidyaanmaayina.n cha maheshvaram.h | tasyavayavabhuutaistu vyaapta.n sarvamida.n jagat.h |” (Swetasvatara Upanishad 4:10)

“Know then Prakriti (nature) is Mâyâ (art), and the Maheshwara the Mâyin (maker); the whole world is filled with what are his members (forms)”.

So, Maheswara with 3 Prakrikis creates offsprings (jivas) which is also maheshwara himself.

Vishnu = Uma and wives of Shiva. So Shiva is called Hari Vallava means the Lover of Hari.

Now,

Vrinda is none other then tulsi which is a part of Gauri and said to be Lakshmi herself who is also none other than Maa Uma (according to puranas like BVP and others) and this was all Lord Shiva's Maya only.

Shiva Maha Puran.:

Chapter 26 - The Vanishing of Viṣṇu’s delusion. Section 2.5 - Rudra-saṃhitā (5): Yuddha-khaṇḍa.:

45 . The gods sowed those seeds in the ground where the pyre of Vṛndā had been lit. O sage, they stayed there thinking these as parts of Śiva’s Śakti.

46. Out of the seeds sown (on Vrinda's pyre), O great sage, three plants shot up—the Myrobalan, the Jasmine and the holy basil (Tulsi).

47. The Myrobalan is born of the creator’s Śakti, the jasmine of Lakṣmī and holy basil (tulsi) of Gaurī, born of the attributes Tamas, Sattva and Rajas.

Now, again.

Chapter 17 - Ten incarnations of Śiva. Śatarudra-saṃhitā.:

1-12. Now listen to the first ten incarnations of Śiva beginning with that of Mahākāla. They are resorted to with devotion and explained in Upāsanākāṇḍa.The first incarnation is that of Mahākāla, the bestower of worldly pleasures and liberation to the good. Śakti there, is Mahākāli who bestows the desired fruits on the devotees.The second incarnation is called Tāra. Śakti there, is Tārā. Both of them confer worldly pleasures and salvation on their attendants.The lord of worlds called Bāla is glorified as the third incarnation. Śakti there, is Śivā that bestows pleasure on the good.Śrīvidyeśa Ṣoḍaśa is the fourth incarnation and Śrīvidyā, Śivā Ṣoḍaśī is the Śakti. They confer pleasure on the devotees and yield worldly pleasures as well as salvation.The fifth incarnation is famous as Bhairava, who bestows desires on the devotees. Śakti there is Bhairavī who bestows desires on good worshippers.The sixth incarnation of Śiva is glorified as Chinnamastaka who confers desires. Śakti there, is Dhūmāvatī who bestows all desires on the devotees.The seventh incarnation of Śiva is Dhūmavān, the bestower of the fruits of all desires. Śaktit here, is Dhūmāvatī who bestows all desires on the good worshippers.The eighth pleasant incarnation of Śiva is Bagalāmukha. Śakti there, is Bagalāmukhī who is also famous as Mahānandā.The ninth incarnation of Śiva is glorified as Mātaṅga (Brahma). Śakti there, is Mātaṅgī (Maha Saraswati) who bestows the fruits of all desires.The tenth incarnation of Śiva is Kamala (Vishnu), the bestower of fruits of worldly pleasures and salvation. Śakti there, is Kamalā (Maha Lakshmi), the protectress of her own devotees. The ten incarnations of Śiva are pleasing as they confer worldly pleasures and salvation. They bestow everything on good devotees.

So, there are many such examples present in smritis.

Brahma Vaivarta Purana Sri Radha-Krsna-samvada.:

140.You (Brahma) will become Pradyumna’s son Aniruddha. Sarasvati will go to Sonitapura and become Banasura’s daughter Usa.

142.Ganga will come to the earth in a partial incarnation as Yamuna. Tulasi will appear in a half-incarnation as princess Laksmana. 178.Goddess Laksmi will partially incarnate as 16 000 princesses who will become My queens.

179.Yamaraja will partially incarnate as Pandu’s son Yudhisthira. Vayu will partially incarnate as Bhimasena. Indra will partially incarnate as Arjuna.

180.The Asvini-kumaras will partially incarnate as Nakula and Sahadeva. Surya will partially incarnate as the heroic warrior Karna. Yamaraja will personally appear as Vidura.

183.Vasu will partially incarnate as Nanda-gopa. Vasu’s wife will partially incarnate as Yasoda. Laksmi will partially incarnate as Draupadi, who was born from a yajna pond.

184.Agni will partially incarnate as noble and powerful Dhrstadyumna. Satarupa (Saraswati) will partially incarnate as Subhadra, born from Devaki’s womb.

So, you see Lakshmi (Draupadi) has Yama, Pavana, Indra, Ashwini Kumaras (Pandavas) as her husbands. Saraswati (Subudhra) has Indra (Arjuna) as her husband. Again, Tulsi/Lakshmi (Lakshmana) has Shiva (Samba) as her husband.

Plus, The Bhavishya Purana, the Skanda Purana and the Varaha Purana narrate that some of Krishna's junior wives (Lakshmis) were infatuated with Samba (Samba). One wife, Nandini, disguised herself as Samba's wife and slept with him for many days in bed making incentuos love. Krishna heard of this blasphemous act from the sage Narada and cursed Samba to be inflicted with leprosy and his wives to be kidnapped by robbers after his own death.

My-My, So, according to your logic, thinking, knowledge, most revelatory speculations and exoneration, that Lakshmi, Saraswati, etc made frantic love n s3x with Shiva, Indra, etc for their whole mortal lives doing infidelity by asking Shiva, Indra, Brahma etc to violate them and their chastity for their whole mortal lives by telling or asking them for marrying them and agreeing to do it. My goodness, That's totally bizzare way of thinking and that's why at starting only i told you to hold your bizzare thinking (Horses). Period..

There are many such examples like Usha and many other wanted to make Love with Shiva due to maya. Or Lakshmi getting infatuated towards Narada (Prajapati) due to Maya.

You will find many such examples in smritis in every right, left, centre. Its because Brahma = Vishnu = Rudra = Indra = Saraswati = Lakshmi = Gauri = Sachi = all the devas and devis = 1. There is no difference in them. All differences occurs due to maya only.

Mandukya Upanishad.:

नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् । अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणं अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥७॥

7. The Fourth (Tiriya) is thought of as that which is not conscious of the internal world, nor conscious of the external world, nor conscious of both the worlds, nor dense with consciousness, nor simple consciousness, nor unconsciousness, which is unseen, actionless, incomprehensible, un-inferable, unthinkable, indescribable, whose proof consists in the identity of the Self (in all states), in which all phenomena come to a cessation, and which is unchanging, auspicious Shiva, and non-dual. That is the Self (Atman); that is to be known.

Rig Veda.:

एकं सद विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः || (Rig-Veda 1:164:46)

ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadantyaghniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānamāhuḥ ||

God is One, wise call him by many names.

I hope this clarifies your queries.