One day Vishnu met Shiva, and they both complained about their domestic situation.

Shiva said, “Gauri, my wife who I place on my lap, gets annoyed that I prefer my other wife, Ganga who sits on my hand. The two never get along. She gets so angry sometimes that she turns into Kali and takes refuge in the crematorium, sitting on top of corpses. And her lions and tigers trouble my poor bull, Nandi. And the snake around my neck is tormented by Kartikeya’s peacock and cannot eat Ganesha’s rat as that will upset him, and in turn his mother. I cannot talk to Ganesha who is annoyed that he has an elephant head and a huge belly to balance it. And it is impossible for me to talk to Kartikeya who has six heads, and so, six mouths. He feels I value Ganesha more than him. The world calls me God, even Vishwanatha, lord of the world, but I am just a miserable householder, balancing the forces and counter forces of my family.