A golden platter adorned Maina’s fair hands and she joyously proceeded to welcome Shiva. The women were seized with great fear when they saw Rudra’s dreadful guise.

They fled in utter panic into the house. The great Lord Shiva moved on to the lodgings of the bridegroom’s party. Maina, sorely grieved at heart, sent for Parvati.

In the most loving manner she took her in her lap, while tears rushed to her eyes, which resembled a pair of blue lotuses. ‘To think that the Creator, who has made you so beautiful, should have been stupid enough to give you such a raving lunatic for a husband!

How strange that the Creator, who has made you so lovely, should have given you a crazy fellow for a bridegroom! The fruit which should have adorned the wish-yielding tree is helplessly appearing on a mere acacia! Taking you in my arms I’ll hurl myself and you from a mountain-top, I’ll cast myself down with you into the flames or leap with you into the sea. Let my home be ruined and let me earn disgrace throughout the world; but I’ll never let you marry this maniac so long as there is life in me!

All the women were distressed when they saw the consort of Himachala so sad. Recalling the affection of her daughter, Maina wailed and wept, saying,

‘What harm had I done to Narada that he should ruin my happy home and give Parvati such advice, to do penance to win a crazy husband?

He is passionless indeed and without affection, an ascetic who has no wealth, no dwelling and no wife, and therefore in destroying another’s home he has neither shame nor fear; for what does a barren woman know of the pains of childbirth?