Week 10 Reading Diary A: Shiva

Shiva's wife was Sati who was the youngest of 16 daughters of Daksha, chief of gods, and Prasuti. Daksha and Shiva weren't on great terms because Shiva never offered homage to Daksha. Sita was in love with Shiva though, and she praised him in secret. When Sati became of marrying age, her father held a swayavara (owm-choice) that included bachelors from all over the land except for Shiva. Sati was upset that she didn't see Shiva, so she threw her wreath in the air and called upon Shiva to receive it. Out of nowhere, Shiva caught the garland and wore it around his neck. Since it was meant to be, Daksha married Shiva and Sati.

However, Daksha continued hating Shiva. He held a gathering with all the gods and goddesses but didn't invite Shiva or Sati. Sati went anyway because that's her own house. She wasn't received well by her father. Sati tried to talk some sense into her father. She claimed that he was the only person that spoke ill of Shiva. "Shiva is the friend of all' no one but you speaks ill of him." She was so angry with her father that she said she would rather die than to be his daughter. Somehow, her fury released an inward consuming fire which killed Sati. She fell dead at her father's feet.

Infuriated, Shiva called about a demon, Virabhadra, to kill Daksha, and mutilate every god. The gods feared Shiva and called upon Brahma (creator of the worlds) for help. Brahma told all the gods to make peace with Shiva. Vishnu had to calm Shiva down and restore life to all the gods, even Daksha whose head was replaced with a goat head.

In one chapter, a hunter found a shrine of  Brahma whose eyes were bleeding. In order to stop the bleeding, the hunter took his arrow and gouged out his right eye. He then applied the eye to the image, and the bleeding stopped. Then the other eye began to bleed as well. The hunter placed his foot against the bleeding eye and cut out his left eye in order to find the spot that he could no longer see. Shiva saw the devotion of the hunter and made the hunter his greatest servant. From that day forth, the hunter was known as the Eye-Saint.

A painting of Shiva. Source: Deviant Art.