𝐒𝐈𝐗 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 | 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

SHAKTI PITHA: The Consequence

On his celestial stage, he whirled and twisted,
creating and destroying, giving birth and consuming.
His wrathful eyes and third eye were blazing,
As he was both creator and annihilator.

Shiva, bereft, danced the Tandava of grief,
His matted locks lashed the heavens in sorrow.
And Hari, the silent witness, knew,
In sacrifice, love blooms eternal, even amid shattered skies.

The sudarshan chakra of Shree Hari swirled,
A discus made of cosmic swirl.
It was deft and true, blazing like a thousand suns,
shattering Sati's form in its searing embrace.

Fifty-one fragments scattered across the earth,
Each piece a sacred Shakti Pitha, a holy site.
From Kamarupa to Kashi, from Ujjain to Purnagiri,
Devi's essence sanctified the earth's every fork.

Kamakhya Devi in Assam:
Here, atop Nilachal Hill, the yoni-the sacred seat,
Where Shakti's womb resides, her power complete.
Legend whispers that Sati's yoni fell here,
And Kamakhya Devi guards it with fierce care.

In the bustling city of joy, near the Hooghly's shore,
Lies Kalighat, where Sati's toes touched the floor.
Kali, the dark goddess, tandavs in rage,
Her tongue lapping blood, her eyes vexed.

Tara, the mother, shines in the night,
Her Shakti Peetha hidden from mortal sight.
Sati's third eye fell here, they say,
And Tara Devi whispers secrets at break of day.

High in the Himalayas, where birds soar,
Vaishno Devi beckons pilgrims to her door.
Sati's right arm fell on this sacred land,
Her strength and compassion forever shall stand.

Along the Aravalli's rugged terrain,
Ambaji's temple stands like a blessed shrine.
Sati's heart aflame with shiva's eternal fire,
Beats here, where devotees seek solace and desire.

Fifty-one Shakti Pithas stand,
Each an echo of love and demand.
Their stories told by priests and pilgrims alike,
Tired hearts seeking blessings, redemption, and light.

━━━━

Explanation:

Shiva, upon learning about the terrible incident, in his wrath invoked Virabhadra and Bhadrakali by plucking a lock of hair and thrashing it on the ground. Virabhadra and the bhutaganas marched south and destroyed all the premises. Daksha was decapitated, and the site of the ritual was devastated during the rampage.

Later when Shiva was pacified, he forgave Daksha and resurrected him, but with a goat's head.

Then Shiva, the Destroyer went on a rampage forgetting his duties, submerged in pain and anguish. He roamed with Sati's corpse throughout the universe, causing universal imbalance. The divinities called upon the god to restore Shiva to normalcy and calm.

Without any other option Shree Vishnu used his (discus weapon) to dismember Sati's cadaver, following which Shiva regained his equanimity.

The legend ends with Sati's body being dismembered into many pieces which fell on earth at various places. Several different listings of these holy places, known as Shakta pithas, are available; some of these places have become major centres of pilgrimage as they are held by the Goddess-oriented Shakta sect to be particularly holy.

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[1] Virabhadra and Bhadrakali: Virabhadra is a fierce form of the god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self-immolation of his consort, Sati, at the Daksha Yajna.
And Bhadrakali the auspicious and fortunate form of Adi Shakti who protects the good, known as Bhadra respectively.

[2] Bhutaganas: A multitude of demons or ghosts.

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