Lesson 3: Shiva
Shiva and Sati
Daksha, the son of Brahma, was a proud and haughty king. He prayed to the Mother Goddess that she be born as his daughter. She agreed on the condition that he would never displease her. He acquiesced and so she was born as Sati. Sati fell in love with Shiva and married him against her father's wishes. Though Daksha hated Shiva, he expected Shiva to pay obeisance to him because he was the father-in-law. Shiva viewed things differently. According to tradition if a more revered person paid obeisance to a less revered one, the latter would be cursed for all time. Now Shiva was a manifestation of the Supreme God and none was more revered than he was. So for Daksha's benefit he refused to pay obeisance on the odd occasions they happened to meet.
Daksha decided to avenge this humiliation. He organized a sacrifice at Kankhal to which he invited all Gods in heaven and prominent men on earth, with the exception of Shiva and Sati. When Sati heard that her father was holding a ceremony, she wanted to go despite not being invited. After all she was family and did not need a special invitation. Shiva cautioned her that only misery would result of her going uninvited but she was adamant. So Shiva reluctantly gave her permission but requested her to maintain her composure in the face of insults that Daksha would heap upon him.
Sati demanded an explanation from Daksha as to why she and Shiva were not invited. Daksha said that Shiva, a person who dressed in rags and adorned himself with ashes and skulls and snakes and who frequented graveyards had no place in this august gathering. Unable to bear the insult Sati proclaimed that she is giving up her life and in front of an astounded audience she stepped into the sacrificial fire. When Shiva learnt the Sati had given up her life he was furious. Accompanied by a battalion of ghouls he went to the site of the ceremony. Daksha and his soldiers tried to prevent Shiva from entering but they were no match for him and his aides. All Daksha's men were killed including Daksha himself whose head was severed. Then Shiva held aloft Sati's limp body and began the Dance of Destruction or Tandava Nritya. This is the dance that heralds the destruction of the universe.
Panic written all over them the guests approached Vishnu who was also present at the ceremony. He realized that it was too late to reason with Shiva. He let loose his chakra or disc like weapon and cut up Sati's body into pieces. The various parts of her body got scattered all over India. Wherever a part of Sati's body fell people built a shrine to the Goddess Shakti, whose incarnation Sati was. These shrines enjoy a large following even today. Then Vishnu consoled Shiva and requested him to give back life to the dead. Shiva did so but insisted that Daksha had to be punished for his pride. He cut of a goat's head and attached it to Daksha's lifeless body before making him alive. To this day Daksha is depicted with a goat's head. The ceremony was then completed. Further Daksha was compelled to live one life as a mortal during which he played a major role in the propagation of the human race.
Kankhal is a small town adjoining Haridwar. Haridwar, which means Gateway to God, is a major pilgrimage centre for Hindus. The Kumbh Fair is held there every twelve years and many Hindus go there to immerse the ashes of the deceased in the river Ganga. Compared to the crowds and the hustle-bustle in Haridwar, Kankhal is quiet and peaceful. This is indeed ironic because Kankhal was the scene of one of the most violent events in Hindu mythology.
The Daksha Mahadev Temple stands in Kankhal where these events took place. Mahadev is another name for Shiva. On the grounds of the temple there is a pit that is said to be the location of King Daksha's sacrificial fire. There is an idol of Sati as well. This temple was constructed by Queen Dhankaur in 1810 AD but was rebuilt in 1962. Not far from this temple is the Nileshwar Mahadev Temple, which is believed to be the place where Lord Shiva was, when Daksha was performing the sacrifice.
Optional Exercises
2a. Two versions of this myth appear in ‘Hindu Myths’ on pages 118 and 249. Read these versions and note the differences. Uma in the first myth is another name for Sati.
2b. Sati’s corpse was cut into 51 pieces that were scattered all over India. The site below relates the place to the organ and the name as which Shakti is worshipped there.
http://www.urday.com/peeta.htm
The places are depicted on the map of India in the site below.
http://www.aadhyashakti.com/51shaktipith...
Why do you think that the organs have been dispersed over a large area?
