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Lord Shiv is said to be an ideal husband and it is customary to call an ideal couple as Shiv Paarvatee like couple. But here is a story that Paarvatee is jealous of the Gangaa.

This is a story about Paarvatee's jealousy and insecurity with Gangaa, her own elder sister. When the river Gangaa descended from Heaven on the request of Bhageerath, Gangaa said - "I can descend on Earth but I need somebody to bear me so that he can tolerate my fall on Prithvi. Because the force of my fall on Prithvi will be so much that I will go to Paataal Lok as soon as I will fall on Prithvi." Bhageerath asked - "Maa, Who can bear you?" She replied - "Please Shiv." So Bhageerath pleased Shiv and he got ready to bear Gangaa on his head. So when she fell down, Shiv bore her on his head in his matted hair. Shiv played a game with her that she lost her way in Shiv's hair to go out on Prithvi. Bhageerath again pleased Shiv Jee to release Gangaa from his hair and then only Shiv opened his one flock of hair through which Gangaa found her way out of Shiv's head.

This story is of that timw when Gangaa was still finding her way to come out of Shiv's head. During that time, Shiv became very fond of Gangaa water. He gave it so much of his attention that his consort Paarvatee became terribly jealous - "My husband spends all his time touching his hair," she said, "He does not care for me at all." Paarvatee was consumed with jealousy, and she begged Shiv to somehow get rid of the water that was trapped in his hair. Shiv did not want to comply with her request. He enjoyed having the water in his hair. Seeing that Paarvatee was utterly miserable, her son, Ganesh, felt sorry for her. "I cannot bear to see my mother so sad, depressed, morose and miserable." He said - "I have to do something."

So Ganesh remembered the sage Gautam. Once, there was a great famine, there was no food anywhere, either on Earth or in Heaven. Only this sage had provisions with his Yog power, and so all the cosmic gods and Rishi came to his place to eat. They all loved him and adored him. Ganesh felt that this sage was the only one who could help him release the Gangaa from his father's head and let it flow down onto the land. So Ganesh decided to go and see the sage. Before leaving, he approached one of his mother's assistants. Her name was Jayaa. He said to her - "Please do me a favor." "Definitely." Jayaa assured him, "I will do any favor you want." Ganesh told her his plan - "I am going to the Aashram of the sage Gautam, who has kept provisions for the gods during the famine. You take the form of a cow. In the morning, when the sage takes his cows to graze, I would like you to destroy all the grain that is growing in the fields near his cottage. You must destroy all his fields of grain." "All right."

Ganesh went to see the sage and he was received with great kindness and hospitality. The sage was deeply honored that a cosmic god had come to stay at his place. The next morning, when the sage took his cows out to eat the grass, a strange cow came and started destroying all the fields of grain. The sage begged the cow not to destroy the grain, which was his main provision, but this cow was bent on destroying everything. The sage was unable to stop her. Finally the sage took a single blade of grass and with it he touched the cow's body. The cow fell down and died then and there. Ganesh and others came running to the spot. "You are a sage," cried Ganesh, "How could you kill a cow? It is the worst possible sin to kill a cow, especially because you are a Braahman. You must pay the penalty for your misdeed." The sage felt very sorry for his action and he said - "I want to make amends for this wrongful deed. I am willing to pay whatever penalty you suggest. Please tell me what I should do now."

Ganesh said - "Invoke Lord Brahmaa. Whatever advice he gives you, will be the best." The sage invoked Lord Brahmaa and Brahmaa Jee came. Now, Brahmaa Jee knew how much Paarvatee was suffering due to Shiv's preoccupation with the Gangaa in his hair. So Brahmaa Jee advised the sage - "If you want forgiveness for what you have done, then you must release the Gangaa from Shiv's hair. Let the waters flow down to Earth, and then you must take a bath in the river Gangaa. If you can do this, you will be purified and all your sins will be washed away." The sage listened to Brahmaa. He used his spiritual power to bring the water down to Earth. When the Gangaa was flowing properly, he bathed in it and became purified. Ganesh's plan worked. Once the Gangaa was no longer entangled in Shiv's hair, Paarvatee had Shiv all to herself again and she was filled with happiness.

This story does not seem to be very logical or authentic, because since Bhageerath brought Gangaa on prithvi, she had nothing to do with sage Gautam here. She had to first follow Bhageerath to give Mukti to his forefathers. This is the second incident. Read this incident in Gautam's biography - Gautam Brings Gangaa.

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