Shiva and Parvati's Marriage

Dadi: "Guddu, tonight I'll tell you about the most extraordinary wedding in cosmic history - when the god who had renounced everything fell in love again."

Guddu: "Lord Shiva's wedding?"

Dadi: "Yes! But before we can talk about the wedding, we must understand the grief. You see, Shiva's first wife was Sati, who died tragically. After losing her, Shiva withdrew from the world completely. He sat in meditation on Mount Kailash, eyes closed, heart frozen."

Guddu: "For how long?"

Dadi: "For ages upon ages. The universe worried. Without Shiva's participation, balance was off. So Sati was reborn as Parvati, daughter of the mountain king Himavan and queen Mena. From childhood, Parvati loved Shiva with all her heart."

Guddu: "Did she remember being Sati?"

Dadi: "In her soul, perhaps. She knew that Shiva was her destiny. When she grew older, she told her parents: 'I will marry Shiva or I will marry no one.'"

Guddu: "But he was in meditation! He wouldn't even open his eyes!"

Dadi: "Exactly the problem. The gods tried to help. They sent Kamadeva, the god of love, to shoot his flower arrows at Shiva and awaken desire in his heart."

Guddu: "Did it work?"

Dadi: "*shaking head* The moment the arrow struck, Shiva's eyes flew open - and fire blazed from his third eye! Kamadeva was burned to ash instantly."

Guddu: "*gasping* He killed the god of love?!"

Dadi: "In his rage, yes. Then Shiva vanished back into meditation. Everyone thought the plan had failed. But Parvati was not giving up. She decided to win Shiva the old-fashioned way - through pure devotion."

Guddu: "What did she do?"

Dadi: "She went to the mountains and became an ascetic. She gave up her palace, her comfortable clothes, her rich food. She wore bark, ate leaves, and meditated constantly, chanting Shiva's mantra."

Guddu: "The princess became a forest renunciate?"

Dadi: "For THREE THOUSAND YEARS, Guddu. During winter, she sat in icy water. She fasted so completely that eventually she ate nothing at all - not even leaves. The gods called her 'Aparna' - 'one who lives without leaves.' She stood on one leg, reciting the sacred Panchakshara mantra day and night."

Guddu: "Three thousand years! That's incredible dedication!"

Dadi: "Finally, Shiva decided to test her. He sent the seven great sages to discourage her. They told her Shiva was ugly, covered in ash, wearing animal skins, living in cremation grounds. 'Why would a beautiful princess want such a husband?'"

Guddu: "What did Parvati say?"

Dadi: "She wouldn't budge. 'I see only his inner beauty. I will have him or none at all.' The sages returned impressed."

Guddu: "Did Shiva test her himself?"

Dadi: "He came to her disguised as an old brahmin and criticized himself terribly. 'This Shiva you worship - he's a wild yogi, he has no wealth, he lives with ghosts and goblins. You're wasting your youth!' But Parvati defended Shiva against himself, never wavering."

Guddu: "*giggling* She passed the test without knowing it!"

Dadi: "When Shiva revealed his true form, Parvati's penance was complete. Now they had to convince her parents - especially her mother Mena!"

Guddu: "Was that hard?"

Dadi: "Wait till you hear about the wedding procession! Shiva arrived riding his bull Nandi, his body smeared with ash, five heads with three eyes each. And his wedding party... oh, beta!"

Guddu: "What were they like?"

Dadi: "Ghosts, goblins, ganas with terrifying faces - creatures that instilled fear and terror! Some had animal heads, some had too many arms, some looked like the stuff of nightmares. And there was Shiva in the middle, looking like the king of a horror kingdom."

Guddu: "Oh no... what did Parvati's mother think?"

Dadi: "*laughing* Mena took one look at this wedding procession and fainted! When she woke up, she was furious. 'I won't give my beautiful daughter to THIS! Look at him! Look at his friends!'"

Guddu: "But Parvati had waited three thousand years!"

Dadi: "Thankfully, the gods intervened. They asked Shiva to appear in his most beautiful form. When Mena saw Shiva in all his divine radiance, she understood why her daughter had fallen in love."

Guddu: "The wedding finally happened?"

Dadi: "With all the grandeur of heaven! Brahma performed the ceremony, Vishnu gave away the bride, gods and sages and celestial beings filled the pavilion. Heavenly music played, divine flowers rained from the sky. Parvati was escorted to Mount Kailash as Shiva's wife."

Guddu: "And they lived happily?"

Dadi: "They became the perfect couple - he the ascetic, she the homemaker; he the destruction, she the creation; he the silence, she the dance. Together they balance the universe. And later, they had two sons - Kartikeya, the god of war, and Ganesha, the remover of obstacles."

Guddu: "Dadi, what does this story teach?"

Dadi: "Many things, beta. That true love is patient - three thousand years patient. That persistence can melt even the coldest heart. That what looks frightening on the outside may be beautiful within. And that the greatest relationships are between people who balance each other."

Guddu: "Like Shiva needed Parvati to bring him back to life?"

Dadi: "And she needed him to complete her purpose. Neither alone was whole. Together, they keep the cosmos spinning."

Guddu: "*snuggling into blanket* That's beautiful, Dadi. I want a love that strong someday."

Dadi: "Then be ready to wait, work, and see past the surface. Sleep now, and dream of cosmic weddings."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi."

Dadi: "Goodnight, my little devotee. May you find your perfect balance."