Behind every Durga idol during Durga Puja is a picture of Lord Shiva. According to popular lore, Lord Shiva doesn’t quite trust his wife when she comes to her father’s house, so he secretly follows her, to keep an eye on her. That’s the prevalent story here, do you have a different interpretation?

I haven’t heard of this Bengali lore. But I have a different interpretation, and this is drawn from a Kerala myth that I have read. The story goes that some fight had taken place between Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati and She was cursed to go back to Earth and live as a fisherwoman. But once She left, Lord Shiva started missing Her like crazy. You know He was obsessed with Her, no? Therefore He then took birth as a fisherman, to come to that village and to try and get Her back.

Actually my understanding of why Lord Shiva’s picture is present behind Ma Durga idols is inspired by this tale. I think it’s not that He was not trusting Her, my interpretation would be that basically He is obsessed with Her, He is deeply in love with Her, so He just follows Her. He misses Her too much. He can’t stay away from Her for too long.

What kind of a husband is Lord Shiva, do you think?

You know, Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati have a very equal relationship. They are both strong-minded… and I guess the best part about Him as a husband is that He was willing to change himself completely for Her. Because He is naturally a vairagi (someone who has renounced worldly matters), He is naturally a god who likes to be by Himself. He’s the original yogi. He wants to be by Himself and meditate, and create knowledge through that meditation… it’s called doing dhyan. But He loves Her so much that He almost changed His basic character to become a householder. How did He become a householder? Because of his love for Lady Parvati.

If he is a vairagi, why is ‘may you have a husband like Shiva’ such a blessing?

Because He is obsessed with His wife, He wanted to change His basic likes just because He is so in love with His wife.... They say all across India, ki Shivji ke jaisa pati miley. It is believed that this is one of the reasons that young women observe Shivratri. Because He is so in love with His wife. They want a husband like Lord Shiva.
 
What, according to you, is the most significant aspect of the Shiva-Parvati marriage?

The best thing about Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati’s marriage is that they add to each other. That’s the beauty and power of their relationship. That’s when you know it’s a good relationship.

— Samhita Chakraborty