This is a story about Parvati's jealousy and insecurity. As you know, the river Ganga descended from Lord Shiva's matted hair. When it first came down from the Himalayas, it became entangled in Shiva's hair. Then it passed through his hair and became the Ganga.
During the time when the water was entangled in Shiva's matted hair, Shiva became very fond of the water. He gave it so much of his attention that his consort, Parvati, became terribly jealous.
"My husband spends all his time touching his hair," she said, "He does not care for me at all."
Parvati was consumed with jealousy, and she begged Shiva to somehow get rid of the water that was trapped in his hair. Shiva did not want to comply with her request. He enjoyed having the water in his hair.
Seeing that Parvati was utterly miserable, her son, Ganesha, felt sorry for her. "I cannot bear to see my mother so sad, depressed, morose and miserable," he said. "I have to do something."
Ganesha remembered a particular sage named Goutama. Once, during a famine, there was no food anywhere, either on earth or in Heaven. Only this sage had provisions, and so the cosmic gods came to his place to eat. They all loved him and adored him. Ganesha felt that this sage was the only one who could help him release the Ganga from his father's head and let it flow down onto the land. Ganesha decided to go and see the sage.
Before leaving, he approached one of his mother's assistants. Her name was Jaya. He said to her, "Please do me a favour." "Definitely," Jaya assured him. "I will do any favour you want."
Ganesha told her his plan: "I am going to the ashram of the sage Goutama, who kept provisions for the gods during the famine. You will kindly 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."
Ganesha went to see the sage and he was received with great kindness and hospitality. The sage was deeply honoured 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 it.
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. Ganesha and others came running to the spot.
"You are a sage," cried Ganesha. "How could you kill a cow? It is the worst possible sin to kill a cow, especially because you are a Brahmin! 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!"
Ganesha said, "Invoke Lord Brahma. Whatever advice he gives you will be the best." The sage invoked Lord Brahma and Brahma came.
Now, Brahma knew how much Parvati was suffering due to Shiva's preoccupation with the Ganga in his hair. Brahma advised the sage, "If you want forgiveness for what you have done, then you must release the Ganga from Shiva's hair. Let the waters flow down to earth, and then you must take a bath in the river Ganga. If you can do this, you will be purified and all your sins will be washed away."
The sage listened to Brahma. He used his spiritual power to bring the water down to earth. When the Ganga was flowing properly, he bathed in it and became purified. Ganesha's plan worked.
Once the Ganga was no longer entangled in Shiva's hair, Parvati had Shiva all to herself again and she was filled with happiness.
