All was serene in Kailasa. Parvathi glanced at her spouse for the hundredth time. He seemed unaware of her existence. There He stood, with matted locks and closed eyes, wrapped in tiger skin. As the poet described, everything about Him was cold. The Ganga, locked in His head, spouted icy water. The snake, coiled around His neck, was slimy cold. The sandal paste covering His body, which was like frost. And He himself stood there, balanced on one leg, like a frozen statue.
His consort sighed a deep sigh. Why did she not listen to her father who never favoured this alliance? How much longer could she live with a statue that came to life once a year to dance a terrible dance that shook the world? His Thandavam was more fearful than His silence. Besides, she was not MS to ecstatically burst into “Kalai thooki nindraadum daivame…” She was just an unworldly girl— a daughter of the mountain— who married this strange man after reinventing herself.
Her thoughts wandered to Vaikunta where Lakshmi sat at the feet of Maha Vishnu. They were the picture of a perfect couple and Parvathi envied them. Their love for each other was so divine that whatever avatar He took in whichever place, she was there even before Him. Whether it was Ayodhya, Dwaraka, Badari or Puri, Lakshmi followed him like a shadow. She married and remarried Him a thousand times in Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupathi, Srirangam, Kanchi, Belur, Udupi— you name it. He descended to earth when she simply messaged Him to come to her! He killed demons and fought wars for her sake. Whereas, she — Parvathi— remained the wife of a mendicant, who showed no concern for her. Humiliation gave way to anger. Shiva’s consort would no longer brook insults.
“Shall we go down to the plains below?” she asked at last.
Shiva asked for one good reason why, without opening His eyes.
“I believe the inhabitants of the earth have turned too wicked and depraved. There is no end to their arrogance. Corruption is rampant. Governments spend recklessly on weapons of war. Maha Vishnu will descend to earth once again in another avatar to set things right. He gets the credit each time, so they will build more temples for Him and ignore you completely.”
Parvathi touched the right chord. Shiva opened His fearful third eye which hurled an appalling ring of flame down to earth. The flame became a glittering gem-studded crown as it landed. It was more powerful than the Vishnu Chakra. Shiva sneered: Let’s see how the great Saviour will deal with that now!
He closed His eye again.
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