DEAR DESTINY!

SHIVA KATHA

"Om namah shivaya!" The man spoke into the mike making everyone follow the chant joining their palms.

"Does anyone of you know why OM comes before any prayer?"the narrator asked making everyone think.

"Because every other alphabet came from it" Siva answered.

"True. What's your name child? I see you are new here" the narrator asked.

"Sivatmika" Siva said making the narrator smile.

"Sivatmika? The soul of our Mahadev? Do you believe in him?" The narrator asked.

"Why wouldn't I? I'm his soul after all" Siva answered making Rudra snort and looked at Deva who was void of any expression and seemed kind of bored from his stature.

"Since we've the soul of Mahadev here let me tell you how he was without his soul" the narrator said making everyone confused and curious at the same time.

'There was a time when Daksha Prajapati did tapasya and impressed Aadhi Parashakti. Devi mata was so impressed that she promised her bhakth (devotee) that she'll be his daughter in her human form.

As promised Shakti was born as the youngest daughter of Daksha Prajapati. And she was named as Daksha Prajapati's favourite daughter Dakshayani who was also called as Sati.

Sati was bought up as the vaishya, a true devotee of Vishnu because her father was one of the true devotees of the Narayan and Brahma who were two of trimurtis. But what Daksha Prajapati hated in the whole world was Shiva,the last one of the trimurtis.

But who would've guessed that his little princess would fall for the most hated man by his father? When Sati's father came to know this he tried to keep her away from even hearing his enemy's name.

It all went in vain because even if Sati didn't realise that she was Aadhi Parashakti herself the part of Shiva himself she was so into him that she even forgot about her promises and love towards her father.

But Daksha Prajapati was never one to bow to Shiva the one who's a resident of smashanam(cemetery) and covers his body with ash and wears a snake around his neck as an ornament. In Daksha Prajapati's view Shiva is a man who's not even suitable for normal human life and that he's useless as a husband material.

So he decided to arrange a swayamvar for Sati but guess who Sati chose as her husband? It was Mahadev. And her father didn't even send her off properly to her in laws house because his daughter's husband doesn't have parents. He isn't born and said to be swayambu.

Mahadev and Sati were leading their married life happily. But too much happiness can cast an evil eye too. One day Daksha Prajapati arranged a big yaagam and invited everyone except his daughter and her husband.

So as a good daughter Sati believed that she didn't need any invitation to go to her parents house and decided to go attend the yaagam even after Shiva tried to stop her. He tried to stop her so she'd be with him permanently and was not ready to loose her again.

But being stubborn just like her father she took a promise from her husband to not come there at any cost and went there alone. But her father insulted her Shiva which made her so emotional and angry and turned into her true form Aadhi Parashakti.

She said that she'd sacrifice her human form which she took for her bhakth because of his devotion leaving her Shiva behind and jumped into the yaagam's fire sacrificing her body and her soul went back into emptyness.

That's when Shiva turned into Veerabhadra who killed anyone who came in his way to kill Daksha Prajapati who eventually was the reason for his beloved demise.

And then after all the death ended he came to his wife to see her soul less burnt body and took her in his arms crying like he never did before because he lost his soul making him empty.

He vowed himself to go back to dhyanam (meditation) leading vairag life just like he did before Sati entered his life and vowed never to get married again and lead a life like a normal human.

Eventually Shiva without his soul has become shava (corpse). That's why they say, a man is nothing without his woman who's his nature.' The narrator ended the story and everyone was so sad hearing Mahadev's broken heart loosing his wife.

"But eventually his soul found its way back to him didn't it? It's not the same human form as before but she was his. She belonged to him" Deva said making everyone look at him.

"She did. But that's a story for another day. Let's pray to Mahadev and have prasaadam" the narrator said joining his palms followed by everyone and prayed the god.