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53-748: The tale is mainly told in the Vayu Purana . It is also mentioned in the Kasi Kanda of the Skanda Purana , the Kurma Purana , Harivamsa Purana , and the Padma Purana . The Linga Purana , Shiva Purana , and Matsya Purana also detail the incident. Variations of the legend may be observed in later Puranas, each text lending a superior account to their supreme deity (depending on Vaishnava , Shaiva , and Shakta traditions) in their literature. Daksha

106-584: A cremation ground dweller. As planned, he took advantage of the situation and continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati felt deep remorse for not listening to her beloved husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and especially her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests, was growing each moment she stood there. The shameless humiliation of her and her beloved eventually became too much for her to bear. She cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her and Shiva, reminding him that his haughty behaviour had blinded his intellect. She cursed him, warning that

159-455: A lock of hair from his head and smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his leg. Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings, Virabhadra and Bhadrakali (Rudrakali) emerged. Shiva ordered them to kill Daksha and destroy the yajna. The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with the Bhutaganas, reached the yajna site. The invitees renounced the yajna and started running away from

212-513: A revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by undergoing severe austerities ( tapas ). Despite Daksha's disapproval, Sati married Shiva. Once, Brahma conducted a huge yajna (ritual sacrifice), where all the Prajapatis, deities, and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the yajna and sat in

265-416: A single date of composition. (...) It is as if they were libraries to which new volumes have been continuously added, not necessarily at the end of the shelf, but randomly. The Asiatic Society , Calcutta published this text in two volumes in 1880 and 1888, as a part of their Bibliotheca Indica series. It was edited by Rajendralal Mitra . The Venkateshvara Press, Bombay edition was published in 1895. It

318-573: A zoo-anthropomorphic form, with the head of bull and four hands, with antelope , axe, mace, and abhayamudra . In his mount form, Nandi is depicted as a seated bull in all Shiva temples, all over the world. This form has been found even in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia . The white color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Symbolically, the seated Nandi faces the sanctum in Shiva temples and represents an individual jiva (soul) and

371-526: Is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism . Vayu Purana is mentioned in the manuscripts of the Mahabharata and other Hindu texts, which has led scholars to propose that the text is among the oldest in the Puranic genre. Vayu and Vayaviya Puranas do share a very large overlap in their structure and contents, possibly because they once were the same, but with continuous revisions over

424-523: Is able to fend off the attacks of the deity, and Brahma finally intervenes to put an end to the violence, by brokering a peace between Shiva and Daksha. In the Harivamsha, Vishnu catches hold of Shiva's throat, rendering it blue. Nandi strikes Vishnu's head with the Pinaka , leaving the preserver deity undeterred. When propitiated, Vishnu offers a portion of the sacrificial offerings to Shiva, restoring peace between

477-744: Is identified with the Tripur Tirth Kshetra in present-day Nandikeshwar Temple, in Jabalpur , Madhya Pradesh . According to Shaiva Siddhanta , Nandi is considered to be chief among the Siddhars , initiated by Parvati and Shiva . He is regarded to have passed on what he had learned to his eight disciples, namely, the Four Kumaras , Tirumular , Vyagrapada (also known as Pullipani), Patanjali , and Sivayoga Muni. They were sent out in eight different directions to spread his wisdom. His teachings are held by

530-631: Is notable for the numerous references to it, in medieval era Indian literature, likely links to inscriptions such as those found on the Mathura pillar and dated to 380 CE, as well as being a source for carvings and reliefs such as those at the Elephanta Caves – a UNESCO world heritage site. The Vayu Purana is mentioned in chapter 3.191 of the Mahabharata, and section 1.7 of the Harivamsa , suggesting that

583-446: Is the bull vahana (mount) of the Hindu god Shiva . He is also the guardian deity of Kailash , the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. The Sanskrit word nandi ( Sanskrit : नन्दि ) means happy, joy, and satisfaction, the properties of divine guardian of Shiva-Nandi. The application of the name Nandi to

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636-473: The Bhagavata Purana mention the decapitation of Daksha. Daksha was caught and decapitated, and the attack culminated when the Bhutaganas started plucking out Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory souvenir. The Vayu Purana states that Daksha and Yajneshvara , the personification of yajna, took the form of an antelope, and jumped towards the sky. Virabhadra captured and decapitated him. Daksha begs mercy from

689-513: The Brahman , Delighting in the Atman Alert and pure. Such are the ones who master Yoga. — Vayu Purana 16.22-16.23 The Vayu Purana exists in many versions, structured in different ways, For example: The Vayu Purana discusses its theories of cosmology , genealogy of gods and kings of solar and lunar dynasties, mythology, geography, manvantaras , the solar system and the movements of

742-602: The Nandinatha Sampradaya , a line of gurus who claim descent from Nandi. Many Puranic legends are available about Nandi. One describes his conflict with Ravana , the antagonist of the Ramayana . Nandi cursed Ravana, the rakshasa king of Lanka , that his kingdom would be burnt by a forest-dweller monkey ( vanara ), since he behaved in a restless manner, just like a monkey, while waiting to meet Shiva . Later, Hanuman burned Lanka when he went in search of Sita , who

795-744: The Parabrahman (the Ultimate Reality in Hinduism), who rises from the yajna fire, and forgives Daksha. The Parabrahman informs Daksha that Shiva was, in fact, a manifestation of Parabrahman. Daksha then becomes a great devotee of Shiva. The Harivamsha Purana and the Kurma Purana describe a conflict between Vishnu and Shiva or Virabhadra. In the Kurma Purana, Vishnu engages in combat with Virabhadra upon Garuda , employing his Sudarshana Chakra . Virabhadra

848-743: The Skanda Purana , says Juergen Neuss, but he adds that the manuscripts attest the Revakhanda containing 232 chapters belongs to the Vayu Purana and was wrongly included in the Skanda Purana by Veṅkateśvara Steam Press in 1910 and all publications of the Skanda after it. The one belonging to the Skanda Purana has 116 chapters. Nandi (bull) Saiddhantika Non - Saiddhantika Nandi ( Sanskrit : नन्दि ), also known as Nandikeshvara or Nandideva ,

901-572: The Vayu Purana , sometime before the 15th century. Vayu Purana, like all Puranas, has a complicated chronology. Dimmitt and van Buitenen state that each of the Puranas is encyclopedic in style, and it is difficult to ascertain when, where, why and by whom these were written: As they exist today, the Puranas are stratified literature. Each titled work consists of material that has grown by numerous accretions in successive historical eras. Thus, no Purana has

954-525: The Vedas for his personal reasons; the priests and sages supported this. Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so, and insulted Shiva this very act. Dadhichi left the yajna because of this argument. Sati learned of the grand yajna organised by her father, and asked Shiva to attend the yajna. Shiva refused her request, saying that it was inappropriate to attend a function without being invited. He reminded her that they had not been invited intentionally. Sati

1007-502: The bull (Sanskrit: Vṛṣabha ) is a development of recent syncretism of different regional beliefs within Shaivism. The name Nandi was widely used instead for an anthropomorphic door-keeper of Kailash, rather than his mount in the oldest Shaivite texts in Sanskrit, Tamil, and other Indian languages. Siddhanta texts distinguish between Nandi and Vṛṣabha . Nandi is described as the son of

1060-490: The celestial bodies. In addition to these, the text has chapters which were inserted in the later centuries into the older version of the Vayu Purana, such as chapters 16-17 which discuss duties of the Varna (caste or class) and duties of a person during various ashrama , chapter 18 which discusses penances for sannyasi (monks, yati ), chapters 57–59 on dharma , chapters 73 to 83 on sanskaras (rites of passage), and chapter 101 on

1113-640: The centuries, the original text became two different texts, and the Vayaviya text came also to be known as the Brahmanda Purana . The Vayu Purana , according to the tradition and verses in other Puranas, contains 24,000 verses ( shlokas ). However, the surviving manuscripts have about 12,000 verses. The text was continuously revised over the centuries, and its extant manuscripts are very different. Some manuscripts have four padas (parts) with 112 chapters, and some two khandas with 111 chapters. Comparisons of

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1166-438: The ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived, everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma and Shiva, stood up, showing their reverence for him. Brahma, being Daksha's father, did not rise. Shiva, being Daksha's son-in-law, and also due to the fact that he himself was superior in stature to Daksha, remained seated. Daksha misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and considered this act an insult. Daksha vowed to take revenge on

1219-464: The ceremony, but refused to accompany her. Upon arriving, Sati tried to meet her parents and sisters; Daksha was arrogant and avoided interacting with Sati. He repeatedly snubbed her in front of all the dignitaries, but Sati maintained her composure. Because of Sati’s persistence in trying to meet him, Daksha reacted vehemently, insulting her in front of all the other guests at the ceremony, to which she had not been invited. He called Shiva an atheist, and

1272-547: The continuation of the yajna. Daksha was absolved by Shiva, and the head of a goat was fixed on the decapitated body of Daksha, restoring his life. The yajna was completed successfully. In Shakta Puranas like the Devi Bhagavata Purana , Kalika Purana, Shiva was distressed and could not part from his beloved wife. He took the corpse of Sati and wandered around the universe. To reduce Shiva's grief, Vishnu cuts Sati's corpse according to Vaishnava Puranas, whose parts fell on

1325-703: The corpse of Sati fell in these places, and the shrines are mostly now associated with the name of the body part. Out of the 51 Shakti Peethas, 18 are said to be Maha Shakti Peethas, the greater temples of Shakti. They are: Various sites like Kottiyoor , Kerala ; the Aami Mandir of Chhapra in Bihar the Daksheswara Mahadev Temple of Kankhal in Uttarakhand , and Draksharama , in Andhra Pradesh claim to be

1378-409: The diverse manuscripts suggest that the following sections were slipped, in later centuries, into the more ancient Vayu Purana : chapters on geography and temples-related travel guides known as Mahatmya , two chapters on castes and individual ashramas , three chapters on Dharma and penances, eleven chapters on purity and Sanskara (rite of passage) and a chapter on hell in after-life. The text

1431-438: The earliest version of the text is likely from the 300 to 500 CE period, and broadly agreed that it is among the oldest Puranas. The text, like all Puranas, has likely gone through revisions, additions and interpolations over its history. Rajendra Hazra, as well as other scholars, for example, consider Gaya-mahatmya , which is an embedded travel guide to Gaya , as a later addition. The Gaya-mahatmya replaced older sections of

1484-620: The forest. He eventually realised Parvati is Sati herself. Shiva tested her affection and devotion in disguise. Later, he wed Parvati. The legend of the Daksha Yajna is considered to be the reason behind the origin of Shakti Pithas , Shiva walked in remorse with sati's corpse, as he walked her organs rot and fall off creating the Shakti Pithas, which are the sacred abodes of Devi in Shaktism . These shrines are located all over South Asia. Most of

1537-413: The form of a whale and started to trouble the people. Parvati's father declared that the man who would kill the whale would marry his daughter. Later, Shiva took the form of a fisherman and killed the whale, and received Parvati in her previous form. The Cham Hindus of Vietnam believe that when they die, Nandi takes their soul to the holy land of India from Vietnam. The Agamas describe Nandi in

1590-490: The insult in the same manner. Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's yajna. With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha initiated a great yajna, similar to that of Brahma. The Bhagavata Purana mentions its name as Brihaspatistava . The yajna was to be presided over by the sage Bhrigu . He invited all the deities, Prajapatis, and kings to attend the yajna, and intentionally avoided inviting Shiva and Sati. Despite being invited, Brahma and Vishnu decline to attend

1643-562: The location of Daksha yajna and the self-immolation of Sati. Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam , a 27‑day Yajna ceremony, conducted in the serene hilly jungle location of Kottiyoor yearly commemorating the Daksha Yaga. The pooja and rituals were classified by Shri Sankaracharya . Vayu Purana Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas The Vayu Purana ( Sanskrit : वायुपुराण , Vāyu-purāṇa )

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1696-473: The message that the jiva should always be focused on the Parameshvara . From the yogic perspective, Nandi is the mind dedicated to Shiva, the absolute. In other words, to understand and absorb light, the experience, and the wisdom is Nandi, who is the guru within. Nandi flag or Vrshabha flag, a flag with the emblem of seated bull is recognized as the flag of Shaivism, particularly among Tamil community all over

1749-471: The parties. According to the Bhagavata Purana, since the obstruction of the yajna are held to create havoc upon all of nature, Brahma and Vishnu went to the grief-stricken Shiva. They comforted and showed their sympathy towards Shiva. They requested him to come to the yajna location, pacify the Bhutaganas, and allow the yajna to be completed. Shiva agreed. Shiva found the burnt body of Sati and permitted

1802-592: The places Shiva wandered. The Shaiva Puranas say that her body disintegrated on its own, and the parts fell while Shiva was carrying Sati's corpse to various places. These places commemorating each body part came to be known as the Shakti Pithas . Shiva went into isolation, and wandered all around the world, until Sati reincarnated as Parvati , the daughter of the King Himavana . Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities, gave away all her royal privileges, and went to

1855-545: The request and guidance of S. Danapala, a Sri Lankan Shaiva personage, in the 1990s. The first Nandi flag was hoisted in 1998, at Colombo Hindu College at Ratmalana , Sri Lanka. Following years, it was declared as the official Shaiva flag in fourth International Saiva Siddhanta Conference, held in Zurich in 2008. Nowadays, Tamil Shaivas, especially in Sri Lanka , Canada , Australia , UK , South Africa , and Switzerland , hoist

1908-426: The sage Shilada. Shilada underwent severe penance to have a boon– a child with immortality and blessings of Shiva, and received Nandi as his son. Shiva Purana says that Nandi was born from a yajna performed by Shilada. Nandi grew up as an ardent devotee of Shiva and he performed severe penance to become his gate-keeper, as well as his mount, on the banks of river Narmada . According to regional legend , this site

1961-502: The temples are located in India and Bangladesh ; there are also a few shrines in Pakistan , Nepal and Sri Lanka . There are 54 Shakti Pithas as per the Puranas, denoting the 54 alphabets of Shiva sukta, the maximum number of sounds the larynx can produce according to Hinduism. 51 of these Shakti peeth are known, the rest three are still kept secret to this day . It is said that the body part of

2014-565: The text existed in the first half of the 1st-millennium CE. The 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita . In chapter 3 of the Harshacharita Banabhatta remarks that the Vayu Purana was read out to him in his native village. Alberuni (973 -1048), the Persian scholar who visited and lived in northwest Indian subcontinent for many years in early 11th century, quoted from

2067-615: The theory of hell in after-life. The text shares a large number of verses with the Brahmanda Purana , and the two texts originated most likely from the same core text. The comparison of the two texts and specifics within the texts suggests, states Hazra, that the split into two texts could not have happened before 400 CE. The chapters which were slipped into the Vayu Purana are missing in many versions of Vayu and in Brahmananda manuscripts. Chapter 18 on penances for those in monastic life,

2120-453: The turmoil. Sage Bhrigu created an army with his divine penance powers to resist Shiva’s attack and protect the yajna. Bhrigu’s army was demolished, and the premises were ravaged. All those who participated, even the other Prajapatis and the deities, were mercilessly beaten, wounded, or even slaughtered. The Vayu Purana mentions the attack of Bhutaganas: the tip of the nose of Saraswati and Aditi(the mother of devas) were cut, Yama 's staff bone

2173-425: The version of Vayu Purana that existed during his visit. The various mentions of the Vayu Purana in other texts have led scholars to recognize it as one of the oldest. The early 20th-century scholar Dikshitar, known for his dating proposals that push many texts as very ancient and well into 1st millennium BCE, stated that the Vayu Purana started to take shape around 350 BCE. Later scholarship has proposed that

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2226-530: The world. Nandi was the emblem of historical Tamil Shaiva monarchs, such as Pallava dynasty and Jaffna Kingdom . Several campaigns to aware the Shaivas about their Nandi flag is carried out continuously during the Shivaratri session, particularly among Tamil community of Sri Lanka , Tamil Nadu , and diaspora . The Nandi flag used nowadays was designed by Ravindra Sastri of Madurai , Tamil Nadu , according to

2279-481: The wrath of Shiva would destroy him and his kingdom. Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati took her own life by jumping into the sacrificial fire. Other versions of the legend state that Sati, losing all control over her anger, takes upon the form of Adi Shakti or Durga , and curses Daksha to fall to ruin. She immolates her body using her own energy and returns to the Sarvaloka . The onlookers tried to save her, but it

2332-401: The yajna according to the Skanda Purana . The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the sage Dadhichi and Daksha. After the sacrifice and hymns were offered to the twelve Aditya deities; Dadhichi noticed that there was no sacrificial portion ( Havvis ) allotted to Shiva and his wife, and no Vedic hymns were used in the yajna addressing Shiva. He warned Daksha that he was not to alter

2385-495: Was a Prajapati and the son of the god Brahma ; his daughter Sati was a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility, and their royal lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva. As a king, Daksha wanted to increase his influence and power by making marriage alliances with powerful kingdoms, and influential sages and deities. Shiva, on the other hand, led a modest life. He lived among the downtrodden, wore tiger skin, smeared ashes on his body, had thick locks of matted hair, and

2438-479: Was broken, Mitra 's eyes were pulled out, Indra was trampled by Virabhadra and the Bhutaganas, Pushan 's teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily, all of the Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard was cut off. There are three differing accounts of the conclusion of this conflict, two of which leading to an intervention by Parabrahman or Vishnu, and one of which ends with Daksha's decapitation. The Linga Purana and

2491-801: Was followed by the publication of another edition by the Anandashrama (Anandashrama Sanskrit Series 49), Poona . In 1910, the Vangavasi Press, Calcutta published an edition along with a Bengali translation by Panchanan Tarkaratna, the editor of the text. In 1960 Motilal Banarsidass published an English translation as part of its Ancient Indian Traditions and Mythology series. The Yogin The Yogin possesses these attributes, Self-restraint , Quiescence, Truthfulness, Sinlessness, Silence, Straightforwardness towards all, Knowledge beyond simple perception, Uprightness, Composed in mind, Absorbed in

2544-503: Was full of purity. His abode was Mount Kailash in the Himalayas . He embraced all living beings, and did not make any distinction between good souls and bad souls. The Bhutaganas , his followers, consisted of all kinds of ghosts, demons, ghouls, and goblins. He wandered through gardens and graveyards alike. As a consequence, Daksha had an aversion towards Shiva being his daughter’s companion. However, unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had

2597-541: Was imprisoned by Ravana in the grove called the Ashoka Vatika . The ancient Tamil text Tiruvilaiyadal Puranam mentions another story in which Nandi is incarnated as a whale. According to this legend, Parvati lost her concentration while Shiva was explaining the meaning of the Vedas to her. Parvati, then incarnated as a fisher-woman to atone for her lack of concentration. To unite his master and his beloved-wife, Nandi took

2650-716: Was likely inserted before the 14th century. The travel guide to Gaya, Bihar was likely inserted before the 15th-century, because the Gaya-mahatmya was referenced many times by the 15th-century Vacaspatimisra (not to be confused with 9th-century Advaita scholar of the same name). The text also contains chapters on music, various shakhas of the Vedas , Pashupata - Yoga , and geographic Mahatmya (travel guides) particularly about Gaya in Bihar . The Vayu Purana also features other topics such as those dealing with construction of mountain top Hindu temples . The Revakhanda of Vayu Purana since 1910 has been wrongly attributed to

2703-402: Was of the notion that there was no need for them to receive an invitation in order to attend, as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter, and no formality existed between them. She constantly pleaded with Shiva to let her attend the ceremony, and turned a deaf ear to her husband's reasoning. Relenting, Shiva allowed Sati to go to her parents' home, along with his followers, including Nandi , to attend

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2756-566: Was one of the Prajapati , a son of Brahma , and among his foremost creations. Daksha married Manu 's daughter, Prasuti , sometimes equated with Asikni , Daksha's another wife. Sati (also known as Uma ) was his youngest daughter, and also his favourite. Sati was deeply in love with the destroyer deity, Shiva , and wished to become his wife. Her worship and devotion of Shiva strengthened her immense desire to wed him. However, Daksha did not like his daughter's yearning for Shiva, mainly because he

2809-469: Was too late. They were only able to retrieve the half-burnt body of Sati. The Nandi and the accompanying Bhutaganas left the yajna place after the incident. Nandi cursed the participants, and Bhrigu reacted by cursing the Bhutaganas back. Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he realised how Daksha's actions had contributed to his own daughter's demise. Shiva's rage became so intense that he plucked

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