Daksha

  • Daksh was a Prajapati, mind-born son of Brahma.
  • He is supposed to have been born from the right thumb of Brahma. To assist in the process of creation, Daksh, obeying his father's orders, begot on his wife Asikni five thousand sons called Haryashvas and there-after a thousand sons called Shabalashvas.
  • All of them were side tracked by Narad and they refused to people the earth. Daksh and Asikni then produced many daughters, of whom twenty-seven became the wives of Som, the moon-god, thus forming the twenty-seven lunar asterisms.
  • Thirteen of his daughters married Kashyap, becoming the mothers of gods, demons, men, animals, birds, fishes, etc.
  • Ten of his daughters were married to Dharm], Svaha to Agni, Sati to Bhav (a form of Shiva) and others were married to Rishis.
  • Once, Daksh made arrangements to perform a sacrifice, in which he omitted to invite Shiv and his daughter Sati. The sage Dadhichi, saw into the future and warned Daksh of Shiv's wrath. Sati, who arrived uninvited, was so hurt by her father's neglect that she jumped into a fire and died. Shiv, furious, assumed the terrible form of Virbhadra. Together with Bhadrakali and the other demigods, Virbhadra went to the sacrifice, where they destroyed the sacrifice, routed the priests, broke Pasha's teeth, tore out Bhag's eyes and beheaded Daksh.
  • Finally relenting, Shiv restored Daksh to life, and replaced his head with that of a goat.


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