Subhashita #0019

When someone cracks a witty joke, an expert personality knows how to reply by cracking another witty joke. This is illustrated by the following subhāṣita:

kva tiṣṭhatas te pitarau
mamevety aparṇayokte pari-hāsa-pūrvam
kva vā mameva śvaśurau
taveti tāmīrayan sasmitam īśvaro 'vyāt

"[Lord Shiva does not have any parents, so Aparṇā (Pārvati Devi) jokingly said to him]: 'Do you think you have parents as good as mine?' [In other words, at least in this regard you are lesser than me]. Lord Shiva laughed and replied, 'Do you think you have in-laws as good as mine?'
May that Lord Shiva protect us all."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Śiva, Page 4, Verse 30)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 8th April 2015).