The story so far:In one last desperate attempt Parvati tries to give Golak Nath her pearl ring — the one that never fails her. But, this time around even the pearl ring could not bring luck to Golak Nath.
Shiva was still deep in meditation. Ganesha and Kartikeya played quietly so as not to disturb their father. Sensing his wife’s presence, he opened his eyes. At his raised eyebrows, Parvati shook her head.
“Golak Nath is hopeless and stupid,” she said. “I shouldn’t have wasted my time on him.”
“What happened?”
Parvati narrated the sequence of events, ending with the fish swallowing the ring.
“My pearl ring has never failed me. But Golak Nath has been a disappointment. I agree with you, he is unable to hold onto his blessings. I feel bad about my ring.”
“Ah…” Shiva smiled mischievously. “But, it’s not over yet.”
For the next few days, Shiva noticed that his beautiful wife made no mention of Magadhpur, nor did she show any interest in visiting her devotees. The failure of her ring had hurt her deeply.
Then, one day Shiva said, “I feel like visiting Magadhpur. Let’s go now.”
A reluctant Parvati accompanied her husband to Magadhpur. They walked towards the stream. They met a fisherman with a basket full of fish.
“Will you sell me your fish?” he asked. Shiva gave him a gold coin. The man, unable to believe his luck, thrust his basket of fishes into Shiva’s hands.
“What are you doing?” asked Parvati as Shiva dropped the fish, one by one, back into the stream. Finally, only one fish remained.
“Why haven’t you dropped that fish?” she asked.
“You will see,” he replied, mysteriously.
They entered the market place, with Shiva carrying the basket. They strolled through the crowded streets. They saw Golak Nath with his wife, Dopi who was clutching a bundle of grass, which she was trying to sell.
An exchange
Shiva said, “Will you give me the bundle of grass for this fish?”
Dopi’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Even if I sell my bundle of grass, I’ll only get one fourth of an anna, which will not be enough to buy a fish. This is an excellent bargain,’ she thought. She readily agreed. Parvati watched the exchange with amused eyes. She knew he never did anything without a reason. Shiva gave the grass to a cow grazing nearby. Then, wearing a shroud of invisibility they followed Golak Nath and Dopi towards their hut.
“Atleast today we will get a good meal to eat,” said Dopi. On the way to their hut, Golak Nath and Dopi met a hunter clutching a dead bird in his hand.
“Will you exchange the fish for the bird?” the hunter asked.
“No,” Dopi shook her head. “At least I can eat the fish. What use do I have for a dead bird?’
“She is a wise lady,” whispered Shiva.
“What is so wise about choosing a fish over a dead bird?” Parvati snapped.
“Would Golak Nath have done that?”
“No. He would have foolishly exchanged the stout fish for the useless bird...”
Dopi sat down and cut open the fish. The pearl ring dropped out. Dopi screamed with joy. She had never held a piece of jewellery in her hand.
“Oh!” smiled Parvati. Shiva had once again outsmarted her.
“Your ring finally reached Golak Nath,” Lord Shiva smiled, “through his wife. It’s tricky business, these blessings. You just have to know the right person to bless.”
“I agree,” laughed Parvati. “If I had chosen Golak Nath’s wife in the beginning, I would have been successful much earlier, and I could have helped him much faster.”
“So who won the wager?” asked Shiva.
“Me,” smiled Parvati.
“How can you say that?” As far as he knew he was the winner.
“My ring, though late, finally reached Golak Nath through his wife,” Parvati answered. “The ring didn’t let me down.”
Conceding defeat, Shiva ascended to Mount Kailash, followed by his victorious wife.
The End
