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In this story, Shiva and Parvati live - not in Kailash- but in a temple in Mylapore (In Chennai).
It is well past midnight. Shiva has still not returned home. Parvati is walking up and down restlessly, wondering why her husband has not yet returned.
Shiva -who is having a jolly good time with his bhoot ganas - is unaware that he should have returned home by now. Finally the party breaks up, the last drops of bhang emptied and Shiva makes his way to the temple (his home).
He knocks the door. No one answers.
He knocks again. Silence.
He tries a third time. Parvati jerks open the doors and demands to know where was he all this while. Shiva truthfully replies that he was partying with his ganas.
"Bhang?" she questions sternly
Shiva nods apologetically.
Parvati was looking daggers at him
For the life of him, he could not understand why his wife was so mad at him. It was not as if he had never partied with his mates, though admittedly, he had never reached home this late.
"I don't believe you. How do I know you were not with any woman all this while?" questioned Parvati
Shiva was stumped. "Ask any of my ganas... All of them will swear that I was with them only" he replied.
"Bah...Your ganas will only protect you. How do I know you - were - not -with -any -woman?"
Parvati was red with anger, her hands on her hips, leaning down on Shiva, breathing fire.
Shiva balked. To escape Maha Kali's wrath, Shiva began walking backwards. The moment he crossed the threshold of the temple, Parvati bolted the doors from inside saying that if he cannot come home on time, he can very well stay outside.
Poor Shiva spent the whole night under the sky. Morning came, but Parvati showed no signs of relenting- nor did the temple doors open.
Shiva was hungry - and a trifle annoyed. Very well, if his wife was not going to feed him, he knew how to fend for himself.
He grabbed a bowl and a staff and began walking on the streets, begging for alms. The ladies of the village were awe struck seeing his beautiful form and began following him. Shiva too was enjoying himself, bandying comments with the women.
Parvati's maids brought her the latest update that her husband was roaming about in the streets like a vagabond and flirting with women.
Parvati understood that Shiva was paying back for what she had done to him last night. All right, she knew how to win him back.
Dressing herself grandly, she went to the place where Shiva was seated surrounded by all the love struck ladies. Seeing Parvati, the ladies threw jealous looks at her. But Parvati had eyes only for her Lord. She began dancing exquisitely and in no time Shiva was mollified.
Parvati requested him to accompany her back home- something Shiva accepted with alacrity.
The happy couple, all misunderstandings forgotten returned home.
