Not much mention has been made of Ashok Sundari in the stories that we have read about Shiva and Parvati. The salient points of her story are:
a) She is wished for by Parvati, from the Kalpvriksha (wish granting tree).
b) She is witness to the beheading of Ganesh.
c) She is cursed by Parvati for hiding behind a sack/rock of salt at the time of the beheading and is merged with the salt. The curse is revoked by Shiva.
It is said that when the disciple is ready, the Guru comes calling, or should one say the Guru clears the path for the disciple to reach him. The Kalpavriksha is the divine who hears the disciple’s earnest call for the grace of the Guru. The wish expressed by Parvati symbolizes the Guru, i.e., Shiva clearing the path for the disciple Ashok Sundari to reach him. Shiva was present at the time when Parvati’s wish for a daughter was fulfilled – signifies a disciple who believes in the path of Shiva-Shakti. This not only signifies that there are many paths to the divine, but also signifies the inherent oneness in the apparent duality of creation, of which a disciple is made of aware of by the Guru. So, while the Shiva aspect evokes devotion within the disciple, the Shakti aspect evokes the sense of service – (Ashok Sundari’s presence in Parvati’s life is to help ward off Parvati’s loneliness). A disciple who is both a karma yogi and a bhakti yogi.
Ashok Sundari witnessed the beheading of Ganesh. As a believer in Shiv-Shakti, a disciple like her understands and accepts the fact thst there are many paths to the divine. She is cognizant of the fact that Ganesh’s resistance to Shiva is neither becoming of a disciple nor is it the right attitude and therefore needs to be corrected by the Guru (Shiva). A disciple like her understands that she/he needs to be submissive to the will of the Guru, if indeed the disciple wishes to evolve as a soul. The witnessing is symbolic of the fact that a disciple like her is ever alert and learns through observation.
The curse is a warning for the disciple that no matter how upright her code of conduct may be and how accurately she can differentiate between the right and the wrong, she can inadvertently make mistakes. Mistakes for which, the disciple will have to bear the consequences. The salt, here signifies that a disciple like Ashok Sundari, can keep the ego in check. She is amenable to new thoughts and ideas and accepting of them, never compromising her core beliefs (salt mixes with everything, retaining its distinctive flavour). Like the salt (adds flavour to the food), she lends meaning to the environment she is present in, rendering her services to mankind, yet never drawing attention to herself.
The revoking of the curse highlights the benevolence of the Guru, for the Guru knows that a true disciple is always worthy of his blessings and grace.