desire to him in explicit terms. Therefore Lord Shiva wished that she make the
proposal first-hand. So he continued—]
But in case you are doing Tapa seeking a groom for yourself, then it is your
childishness—because if one can find a ‘Parasmani’ (the philosopher’s stone which
converts other base metals into gold) in one’s own house, why will he go out and
search for it on Mt. Sumeru (the distant mountain where the Gods live)? [In other
words, finding a groom is not something so serious that one would involve oneself in
doing such severe form of Tapa as you have done. It’s a routine matter that a lady is
married to some suitable man, and there is no need to do Tapa for it. Therefore surely
the reason for your doing Tapa must be different than merely to find a suitable groom
for yourself.]’ (45-46)
eksjsa tku dysl dfjv fcuq dktfgA
lq/kk fd jksfxfg pkgb jru dh jktfgAA47AA
yf[k u ijsm ri dkju cVq fg;¡ gkjsmA
lqfu fç; cpu l[kh eq[k xkSfj fugkjsmAA48AA
mōrēṁ jāna kalēsa kari'a binu kājahi.
sudhā ki rōgihi cāha'i ratana kī rājahi. 47.
lakhi na parē'u tapa kārana baṭu hiyam̐ hārē'u.
suni priya bacana sakhī mukha gauri nihārē'u. 48.
47-48. ‘In my view, you are unnecessarily taking so much trouble. Does the Amrit
(elixir of life; ambrosia) ever wish to go near a severely diseased person, or does a
gem/jewel wish to be near a king? [In other words, it is the sick man who searches for
the medicine, but the latter does not go to him on its own accord. Similarly, the king
searches for rare gems and jewels to store them in his treasury, and it is not the other
way round. Here, Shiva is indirectly praising Parvati and her glory by comparing her
to Amrit and a rare gem. He means that she is so virtuous and beautiful, possessing so
many good qualities, that she is the most eligible bride in this world, and she has
become so famous in this world that the groom who is suitable for her would come
searching for her on his own, instead of her searching for him!] (47)
This Batu (Shiva in the form of a Brahmin) does not understand the reason for
your doing such severe Tapa. He (i.e. me) has been tired of seeking an explanation for
it (but could not find it).’ [As has been observed above, Shiva wished that Parvati
becomes forthcoming and express her desire in clear terms.]
Hearing these sweet, pleasant and endearing words of his, Gauri (Parvati)
looked at the face of her companion (i.e. her attendant or maid). [This implies that her
father Himwan had left behind some of the maids to look after Parvati while she was
doing Tapa. As has been said earlier in verse nos. 31-33, Himwan had gone to
persuade Parvati to return home, but she refused and said that she will do Tapa to
fulfill her desires. So it is clear that while returning home, her father must have left
some of the maids quietly to take care of Parvati. It is one such maid that Parvati
addresses now. When the Batu pretended that he did not know why she has been
doing so severe Tapa, Parvati looked at her friend as if to say silently ‘Look at this
fellow. The whole world knows why I have been doing Tapa, and he says he does not
understand why I am doing it! How funny!] (48)