Week 13 StoryLab: Shiva and Creation

 When the gods created the universe, Lord Brahma was entrusted with populating Earth. He created a wish born child, Daksha. Daksha and his wife Prastuti, had numerous children that were married off to gods and goddesses. Sati, the youngest one was his favourite and he detested that she was to marry Lord Shiva. Sati grew up to be one of the most beautiful women on Earth and there were innumerable suitors who wanted to marry her. However, Sati wanted to fulfill her destiny and heads off to Kailasa to marry Lord Shiva. Shiva pleased by her devotion, immediately marries her. Daksha felt insulted as his daughter married a hermetic like Lord Shiva and decides to avenge his pride. 

Daksha organises a grand yajna (ritual sacrifice) and decides to invite all gods except Shiva and Sati. Sati remarks furiously that she is owed an explanation. As Shiva tries to stop her, she continues to rant about her father and he proceeds to insult Lord Shiva. Invoking a sacrificial fire, Sati immolates and sacrifices herself. Lord Shiva vows to destroy Daksha and brings forth Virabhadra and Bhadrakali as a manifestation of his anger. They destroy Daksha's army and behead him, while the gods try to save him. Lord Shiva carries Sati's body on his shoulder and wanders the Universe, which worries the gods about the balance of the universe. Ultimately, Lord Vishnu used his sudarshana chakra to cut Sati's body into 52 pieces that drop on Earth. Each of these places, where Sati's body dropped, is a Kali or Shakti temple.

Author's Notes

I picked this story to contrast with the Genesis story of Christianity and other Abrahamic religions. This version of the story is in line with Valmiki's Ramayana and depicts the short temper of Lord Shiva. There are various stories of this kind in the Puranas, that depict these virtuous. Stories like these depict specific characteristics of thee gods,

Shiva carrying Sati on his shoulder after her death

Shiva parades around the universe with Sati's body on his shoulder. Since, the Trimurtis ( Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) maintain balance in the universe, the gods feared that an imbalance like this would cause widespread destruction.