By: Sister Nivedita
Sati was the youngest daughter of the chief of the gods, Daksha. She became Shiva's wife, but that was unpleasing for her father, Daksha, because he did not like Shiva. However, Daksha was coerced into allowing the marriage when he held Sati's swayamvara and Shiva won her hand. Later down the road, Dakhsa holds a festival without inviting Shiva. This insults Sati greatly and she confronts her father, grows very angry, and falls dead at his feet.
The Anger of Shiva
By: Sister Nivedita
Shiva is seriously angry when he hears about Sati. He births a demon from a lock of his hair and ordrs it to lead his army against Daksha. Brahma advises all the gods to make peace with Shiva because he could easily destroy the entire universe. After speaking to Brahma, Shiva decides to give Daksha a goat head and to restore his broken limbs. We're reminded that Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are a trinity, not their own sole entities. They are three in one.
By: Sister Nivedita
Shiva carries Sati's body across the earth, his sorrow destroying nature with every step he takes. Vishnu is trailing behind him, restoring the earth and slowly cutting up Sati's body so that Shiva is carrying less and less weight. Once the weight is gone, Shiva retires alone to keep to himself in meditation. We learn that Sati's body was cut into 52 pieces, which is tied to the 52 weeks of the year.
(Shiva carrying Sati's body, with Vishnu close behind; Image Source)
By: Sister Nivedita
As I read more stories about these gods, the more they remind me of the gods of Greek and Roman mythology I'm more familiar with. Shiva is making one rash decision after another. Here, he grows angry with Parvati because she daydreams while he's explaining a difficult Veda to her, and casts her to earth to be a fisherman's wife. He quickly realizes he has made a mistake because Parvati is his love and she should only be with him. Years pass and when Parvati's fisherman father declares that whoever can capture the treacherous shark causing mischievous will marry his daughter, Shiva takes his chance and wins his wife back. A rash decision caused years of trouble, which is a common theme when it comes to mythology.
By: Sister Nivedita
Shiva learns of 10,000 rishis who were teaching that souls have no god and salvation is achieved through works rather than faith. He decides he needs to teach them the truth, so he and Vishnu enter the forest disguised as a wandering yogi and his wife. The rishis soon realize something is wrong so they begin to cast curse after curse, but Shiva easily knocks down each challenge. When they send a great goblin after him, he begans to dance on the goblin's back. The rishis realize that they are in the presence of a god and give themselves to his worship.
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