[It was Narad who had told Parvati that it is written in her destiny that she would
have a crazy person as her husband. He had also advised her that this crazy husband
will be no ordinary one, but Lord Shiva, the Great God. So she need not worry. But in
order to attain Shiva she needed to do severe form of Tapa. When Parvati’s mother
has expressed her dismay and reservation at that time, her husband, the king of
mountains, Himwan, had assured her that Narad never speaks lie, and if it is written in
their daughter’s destiny that she will get Shiva as her husband then there is no point in
lamenting and regretting because whatever the Creator has already written can’t be
now erase. Maina, the mother, forgot all of this, and when she heard of the sort of
groom that has come to marry her beloved daughter she started wailing and
lamenting^2.
When Maina wailed, Parvati comforted her bravely, saying almost the same thing
that her father had told her mother earlier. She in effect told her mother that if it is
destined that she is to marry a crazy groom, can she change what the Creator has fixed
for her? So she must act wisely like a grown-up, and stop lamenting and grieving
when the marriage party is at the door. It will be highly absurd and laughable to throw
tantrums now.^3 ] (108)
[Note—^1 Refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, from Chaupai line no. 6 that precedes
Doha no. 96—to Chaupai line no. 4 that precedes Doha no. 97.
Refer also to Chanda no. 13 below.
(^2) Refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, from Chaupai line no. 2 that precedes Doha
no. 71—to Chaupai line no. 4 that precedes Doha no. 72.
(^3) Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line nos. 5-8 and the Chanda that
precede Doha no. 97]
?kj ?kky pkyd dyg fiz; dfg;r ije ijekjFkhA
rSlh cjs[kh dhfUg iqfu eqfu lkr LokjFk lkjFkhAA
mj ykb mefg vusd fcf/k tyifr tufu nq[k ekubZA
fgeoku dgsm blku efgek vxe fuxe u tkubZAA13AA
ghara ghāla cālaka kalaha priya kahiyata parama paramārathī.
taisī barēkhī kīnhi puni muni sāta svāratha sārathī.
ura lā'i umahi anēka bidhi jalapati janani dukha māna'ī.
himavāna kahē'u isāna mahimā agama nigama na jāna'ī. 13.
Chanda 13. Narad is said to be a great well-wisher and benefactor of all, but in
practice he ruins households, is clever and cunning, wicked and mischievous. Even
the seven sages (see verse 75) were similarly crooked and self-serving; they talked
about the marriage in the same clever vein (i.e. they spoke half truths and did not
divulge the negative traits of the groom to us). [This refers to the seven celestial
sages, known as the Sapta-rishis, coming to Himwan with the marriage proposal of
Lord Shiva sent on his behalf by the Creator, Brahma, as his guardian. They painted a
rosy picture of the groom as being a great God whose proposal is sent by none other
than Brahma, the patriach of creation. What more can a girl’s parents want—that were
excited at the prospect of their daughter getting married to the senior most God, Lord
Shiva. She was deemed to be very lucky and privileged.]^1 ’
In this fashion, the mother felt forlorn and dismayed beyond measure. She
clasped Uma (Parvati) to her bosom and lamented gravely in various ways.^2
Then Himwan (father of Parvati) consoled and comforted her by saying that
even the Vedas are unable to fathom the greatness and glories of the Lord (Shiva).