This Love Story Between Shiva & Sati Shook The Whole World! Here's The Epic Tale Simplified

Anshu Awasthi | Last Modified - Feb 14, 2017, 05:11 PM IST

One unloving karma between Sati, the first wife of Lord Shiva, and her father king Daksh led Lord Shiva to almost churn an apocalypse to destroy the universe.

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Lord Shiva Rage

Lord Shiva was in deep meditation when Lord Brahma requested Goddess Adi Shakti to take human birth to bring Shiva out of his state of trance. The female personification of power, Sati, was thus born to King Daksh, who himself was the son of Brahma. According to scriptures, as Sati grew up, one 'unloving' karma between the king and her daughter led Lord Shiva to almost destroy the whole universe. Let's know that in detail.

Sati, also called as Dakshayani, loved the tales of ascetic Shiva since childhood, and became his devotee from the age of 5. As she grew up and reached a marriageable age, the thought of marrying anyone other than Shiva became intolerable to her. Hence, she left the luxuries of her father's palace and went to a forest to worship Lord Shiva.
But what happened next was not acceptable to her father, King Daksh.

Click next to know what it was...
+4 See more slides

Shiva and Sati

Lord Shiva was in deep meditation when Lord Brahma requested Goddess Adi Shakti to take human birth to bring Shiva out of his state of trance. The female personification of power, Sati, was thus born to King Daksh, who himself was the son of Brahma. According to scriptures, as Sati grew up, one 'unloving' karma between the king and her daughter led Lord Shiva to almost destroy the whole universe. Let's know that in detail.

Sati, also called as Dakshayani, loved the tales of ascetic Shiva since childhood, and became his devotee from the age of 5. As she grew up and reached a marriageable age, the thought of marrying anyone other than Shiva became intolerable to her. Hence, she left the luxuries of her father's palace and went to a forest to worship Lord Shiva.
But what happened next was not acceptable to her father, King Daksh.

Click next to know what it was...

Sati began living in severe austerities, giving up even food and water in the worship of Lord Shiva. At one point of time, she would eat just one bilva leaf (bel patr) per day. Finally, all of her devotion brought the great lord out of his long meditation. He appeared before Sati and proposed to marry her.

Their union is celebrated in Feburary as Mahashivratri.

However, this marriage did not go well with Daksha, who considered Shiva, who lived a yogi's life, an unsuitable match for his beautiful daughter.
+4 See more slides

Shiva and Sati

Lord Shiva was in deep meditation when Lord Brahma requested Goddess Adi Shakti to take human birth to bring Shiva out of his state of trance. The female personification of power, Sati, was thus born to King Daksh, who himself was the son of Brahma. According to scriptures, as Sati grew up, one 'unloving' karma between the king and her daughter led Lord Shiva to almost destroy the whole universe. Let's know that in detail.

Sati, also called as Dakshayani, loved the tales of ascetic Shiva since childhood, and became his devotee from the age of 5. As she grew up and reached a marriageable age, the thought of marrying anyone other than Shiva became intolerable to her. Hence, she left the luxuries of her father's palace and went to a forest to worship Lord Shiva.
But what happened next was not acceptable to her father, King Daksh.

Click next to know what it was...

Even as blissful eons passed between Shiva and Sati, Daksh did not give up his prejudice against Shiva. One day he organized a grand ceremony where kings and queens of all the lands were invited. However, he did not extend his invitation to Sati and Shiva.

Sati, who was upset with this, decided to attend the function even though Shiva tried to dissuade her.

Daksh was surprised to see her daughter at the palace and explained that he did not want a dirty hermit like Shiva, who frequents graves, to attend his ceremony. Infuriated by her husband's insult, Sati went into a deep state of trance and burned herself.
+4 See more slides

Shiva and Sati

Lord Shiva was in deep meditation when Lord Brahma requested Goddess Adi Shakti to take human birth to bring Shiva out of his state of trance. The female personification of power, Sati, was thus born to King Daksh, who himself was the son of Brahma. According to scriptures, as Sati grew up, one 'unloving' karma between the king and her daughter led Lord Shiva to almost destroy the whole universe. Let's know that in detail.

Sati, also called as Dakshayani, loved the tales of ascetic Shiva since childhood, and became his devotee from the age of 5. As she grew up and reached a marriageable age, the thought of marrying anyone other than Shiva became intolerable to her. Hence, she left the luxuries of her father's palace and went to a forest to worship Lord Shiva.
But what happened next was not acceptable to her father, King Daksh.

Click next to know what it was...

When Shiva came to know about his wife's death, he went into a rage. He created Virbhadra from his hair strands and sent him to the palace to kill Daksha. His rage threatened to destroy the entire universe. The surviving guests and other Gods begged Lord Shiva for mercy.

When Shiva went to the palace, his rage converted into sorrow on seeing his wife’s body. He absorbed Virbhadra back into himself, brought Daksh back to life (and earned the name Shankar- the merciful), gathered the remains of his wife and renounced the world. This went on for years, while the other gods tried to bring him back to sanity, but to no good.
+4 See more slides

Shiva

Lord Shiva was in deep meditation when Lord Brahma requested Goddess Adi Shakti to take human birth to bring Shiva out of his state of trance. The female personification of power, Sati, was thus born to King Daksh, who himself was the son of Brahma. According to scriptures, as Sati grew up, one 'unloving' karma between the king and her daughter led Lord Shiva to almost destroy the whole universe. Let's know that in detail.

Sati, also called as Dakshayani, loved the tales of ascetic Shiva since childhood, and became his devotee from the age of 5. As she grew up and reached a marriageable age, the thought of marrying anyone other than Shiva became intolerable to her. Hence, she left the luxuries of her father's palace and went to a forest to worship Lord Shiva.
But what happened next was not acceptable to her father, King Daksh.

Click next to know what it was...

Eventually, Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshana Chakram to cut Sati's lifeless body, clutched closed to Shiva’s heart, into 52 pieces. These pieces fell to Earth, and are now called Shakti Peethas- which are also places of Hindu pilgrimage.

Finally, Lord Shiva settled down near Gangotri and once again went into deep meditation, remembering his wife and her vows. And some eons later, she would come back to him again- as Parvati.