She stepped onto the pyre, her robes aflame,
The gods watched, silent witnesses in love's name.
Shiva cradled her, his tears merging with her remains.
Her body dissolved, but her essence a faint whisper.

And Shiva? Oh, Shiva! His grief so vast,
He tore his jata, scattering devastation till the last.
The crescent wept, and the Ganga did flood,
As if mourning the loss of his consort.

He held her burnt corpse close,
He cried till the draught did drain.
The gods, the kings, the men and foes,
They watched and let their hearts rain.

Oh Shiva, a thunderstorm of longing,
Sati's laughter, a monsoon of joy.
He carved her name into the bark of time,
And she wove his essence into her mane.

And so, in moonlit nights and whispered winds,
Shiva's love for Sati endures.
Their story etched into the fabric of existence,
A rhyme sung by stars and whispered by rivers.

From that day forth, Shiva donned ashes as his raiment,
His matted locks a testament to love's searing pain.
He danced the Tandava, wild and untamed,
For Sati's fire had consumed them both.

Sati, once radiant, now ashes on the wind,
Her sacrifice etched into the fabric of existence.
Her love for Shiva unyielding,
And a universe burning within his chest.

The celestial drum resounded,
A heartbeat echoing across realms through time.
Each step of Shiva's Tandav shook the creation,
Revealing seeds of pain and destruction.

And so, in the shadowed cradle of Kailasa,
The Lord of Destruction became austere.
His heart left vexed and torn,
For Sati, the fire igniting his soul was gone.

━━━━

Explanation:

Sati Daha or Self-immolation of Goddess Sati.

Sati (सती, meaning 'truthful' or 'virtuous'), also known as Dakshayani (दाक्षायणी, 'daughter of Daksha'), is the Hindu goddess of marital felicity and longevity, and is worshipped as an aspect of the mother goddess Shakti. Sati was the first wife of Shiva, the other being Parvati, who was Sati's reincarnation after her death.

In Hinduism, Daksha (दक्ष, meaning. 'able, dexterous, or honest one) is one of the prajapati, the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. Sati was the favourite child of Daksha, who marries Shiva against her father's wishes. Later, when Daksha organises a (fire-sacrifice) in which he doesn't invite her and her husband, Sati goes to attend it, only to be humiliated by her father. She then immolates herself to protest against him, and uphold the honour of her husband.

Shiva is The Destroyer or God of destruction within the trinity which also includes Vishnu and Brahma. Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe.

This poem depicts his pain and frustration on losing the love, the other half of him, Sati.

The story continues into a huge Hindu mythological history that will again be uploaded here.

[1] Jata: Unkempt braided hair/ dead locks

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