the holy mother
The gentle heart of the divine maiden was deeply affected by these words.
With her head bowed, she pondered: How can a father be so harsh toward his own child? Truly, human nature is strange—so much so that even the son of the Creator of the universe could not recognize Lord Rudra. And Rudra himself is someone worthy of his worship—this realization pained her even more.
The Guru, absorbed in his narration of the Vedas and the Puranas, seemed to transcend time and space, witnessing all the scenes through his inner vision. That's why he had remained silent for a long time. Devadatta called out, "Gurudev, Gurudev!" The Guru was brought back to the present by his call.
He said, "As age increases, the body grows weaker, my son. I will not test your patience any longer. Now I will conclude the tale of Shiva and Uma."
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The Guru continued:
Hearing her husband insulted by her own father, the mother (Sati) was overcome with sorrow. Before giving up her life, Sati addressed her father:
"Father, until today, no one has ever spoken ill of my husband. He is the source of creation, preservation, and destruction. If He wills, the three worlds exist; if He destroys, they perish. Even though you are the progenitor of life, you have failed to understand this truth. Let your honor and lineage be destroyed!"
With those words, Sati chose to sacrifice her life.
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When Shiva came to know of Sati's self-immolation, he, the all-knowing Lord, became consumed with grief and rage.
One of the disciples, Priyabhashini, asked, "Gurudev, if Lord Shiva knows everything, why did he not prevent Sati from sacrificing her life? Why doesn't he grant equal protection to all?"
The Guru smiled gently and replied, "Though this is not the time for scriptural discourse, I shall answer to clear the darkness in your heart. Shiva and the Mother are not separate. And what is preordained cannot be changed—not even by the Lord Himself. If He were to change fate, people would cease to accept death as a part of life. Ordinary beings fail to realize that the body is perishable. Hence, the Mother gave up her physical form.
"As for your second question: God gives equal opportunity to all. Each soul receives results based on their karma. People often think: 'Such a devout person, why so much suffering?' But they don't realize—what appears as suffering only touches the body, not the soul. And mere desire is not enough; one must also be worthy. The One who understands both the inner and outer nature of all beings decides their path."
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Then the Guru resumed the tale:
Upon learning of Sati's death, Shiva became enraged. Flames seemed to shoot from his eyes, and his breath became heavy and fiery. From the hair of his body emerged a terrifying, great warrior with a thousand arms and eyes. In each hand, he held weapons like the trident, mace, discus, and thunderbolt. His might was like that of a lion.
This warrior roared, "O Maheshwar, what is the reason for my creation? What is my purpose?"
Shiva said, "You were born of my wrath, and so you shall be called Veerabhadra. Your mission is to go to Daksha's sacrificial site and destroy everything. I bless you with the power to create anyone you wish to aid your task."
Empowered, Veerabhadra created Bhadrakali from his inner fury. Shiva blessed them both. Together, with an army of pramathas (spirits), they proceeded to the sacrificial ground near Haridwar.
Veerabhadra blocked the northern gate of the sacrificial site, and Bhadrakali stood at the southern entrance. Upon seeing them, the gods understood that destruction was imminent. Though they prepared for battle, they hesitated—how could they oppose someone created by Rudra himself? The gods were defeated.
Veerabhadra entered the sacrificial arena, where he encountered none other than Lord Narayana. Seeing the gods wounded, Narayana fought Veerabhadra, but none of his weapons had any effect. Even Narayana grew angry. Enlarging his body, he inhaled Veerabhadra through his nostrils, then expelled him violently, slamming him into the ground. He tried to tear Veerabhadra apart, but Veerabhadra escaped using Narayana's own discus.
At this point, Shiva Himself arrived at the site. Seeing the bloodied form of Veerabhadra, he was filled with uncontainable rage. So fierce was his presence that even the gods and Narayana were terrified. Taking the form of birds, they fled the site.
Veerabhadra then beheaded King Daksha. All the sages and priests who were present were also slain.
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Brahma, however, could not flee. And whether he was truly saddened by his son's fate is debatable. Shiva challenged him to battle, but instead, Brahma began to praise Shiva in order to appease him.
It is said that the anger of the gods subsides quickly. And so it happened here. Shiva said, "Ask what you desire."
Brahma replied, "O Mahadeva, grant life back to all the Brahmins who were present. But what of Daksha's head? How can it be restored?"
Shiva, smiling, released Brahma from the conflict and said, "Sprinkle the holy water from your kamandalu (water pot) everywhere. All will be revived. As for Daksha, replace his head with that of the animal he had offered in sacrifice."
Daksha, once revived, was filled with remorse. He thought, "I arranged this great sacrifice for merit, yet its outcome was disaster. I failed to honor my own daughter. I am unworthy of the title Prajapati (lord of creation)."
There is no greater punishment than sincere remorse.
Shiva calmed Veerabhadra. When Daksha offered him the oblation of the sacrifice, Shiva accepted it. After everyone departed, Shiva found Sati's lifeless body lying near the sacrificial altar. He called out to her many times, but her still form brought tears to his eyes—so many that it seemed a lake would form from them.
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Shiva lifted Sati's body onto his shoulders and left the place.
He abandoned all his ascetic practices, lost in grief. The gods grew fearful and went to Lord Vishnu, who resided in the ocean of milk. Upon hearing their plea, Vishnu devised a solution.
He thought to himself: He who is the supreme yogi, how has he been overcome with sorrow like a common man?
Then Vishnu released his discus, and it is said that Sati's body was cut into many pieces. These pieces fell in different places and became known as the Shakti Peethas.
Shiva, grief-stricken, returned to Kailasa and withdrew from worldly matters. Vishnu came to console him and said, "Do not be sorrowful, O Mahadeva. It is not fitting for you to grieve like an ordinary man. You will be united with the Mother again. She will be born as the daughter of Himavan. Now, resume your penance."
And truly, in Himavan's home, a daughter was born—Parvati, with a dark complexion.