Why Sati Devi Was Born: A Leela to Win Lord Shiva’s Heart

Sandhya was the very first woman to be born at the time of creation. She was born from the mind of Brahma. But Brahma himself felt attracted towards her. Lord Shiva made fun of Brahma for this. Shiva was famous for his yogic power and celibacy.

Brahma wanted to retaliate by making Shiva discard his celibacy and get married. He tried several times to influence Lord Shiva's mind but failed. Kamadeva told Brahma that if he could create a beautiful woman befitting the greatness of Shiva, then he might be able to make him attracted towards her.

Lord Vishnu told Brahma that he should request Devi Mahamaya to incarnate as a woman. Brahma told his son Daksha to observe penance to get Mahamaya as his daughter. Following Brahma’s command, Daksha began his penance by the northern sea. Daksha controlled his mind and performed hard penance. He followed the rules for three thousand years.

The goddess appeared before him. She was sitting on a lion, and her glow was black. She had four arms: abhaya mudra (sign of refuge), varada mudra (sign of boon), a blue lotus, and a sword. 

Daksha said, 'Goddess! Maheshwari, Jagadamba, I bow to you. You have blessed me by showing me your form. Oh Goddess! Please be kind to me.'

Goddess knew Daksha's thoughts and spoke to him. 'Daksha, I am very pleased with your devotion. Ask for any boon you wish; nothing is impossible for me.'

Daksha said, 'O Great Goddess! My lord, Lord Shiva, has taken the name Rudra and has become the son of Brahma. He is the incarnation of Lord Shiva, but you have not taken an incarnation. Then who will be his wife? So, Please take birth on Earth and charm Lord Maheshwara with your beauty. O Goddess! No other woman but you can ever charm Lord Rudra. So, please become my daughter and be the wife of Lord Mahadeva. By doing this, perform a beautiful leela and enchant Lord Shiva. This boon will benefit not just me but the entire world.'

The goddess said, 'I am very pleased with your devotion, and I am ready to give you what you desire. Because of your devotion, I will be born as your daughter from your wife's womb. I will do hard penance and get Lord Mahadev's boon to become his wife. There is no other way because Lord Sadashiva is flawless, and even Brahma and Vishnu serve him; he is always complete. I am always his beloved. In every birth, Shambhu, in various forms, is my husband. Lord Sadashiva, through his boon, appeared as Rudra from the middle of Brahma's brows (Brahma had asked for a boon that Shiva be born as his son). Now you may go back to your home.'

'Soon, I will be born as your daughter and become Lord Mahadev’s wife. I have one condition, and you must always remember it. If your respect for me ever decreases, I will immediately leave this body, return to my original form, or take another body.'

Devi said this and disappeared. After the goddess disappeared, Daksha returned to his ashrama, feeling happy that Goddess Shiva would become his daughter.

Learnings-

1. In this story, Shiva made fun of Brahma, and Brahma didn’t like it. So, Brahma wanted to make Shiva fall in love to tease him back. Brahma didn’t do this to solve a big problem or help the world. He just wanted to play a trick on Shiva because Shiva laughed at him. This shows that sometimes, gods do things for fun, not for a serious reason. Their leelas are like a game between friends, not always about big, important things. But the results of these leelas are always for the welfare of the world.
2. Shiva’s teasing provoked Brahma to seek retaliation Brahma was Shiva's devotee but still he was offended. It highlights the idea that behavior often stems from external stimuli (Shiva’s teasing) and leads to actions.
3. The universe is filled with acts that are not always aimed at achieving big goals, but rather reflect the freedom of divine will. The concept of leela means that existence is not always governed by strict rules  but can include moments of joy, play, and spontaneity.
4. People can become manipulative when their ego or pride is threatened.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi