Stories of Shiva

The Puranas are full of legends about the victories of shiva over the forces of evil. Accordding to Puranic legends, sati, the daughter of Daksha, is his consort. Daksha however, does not hold his ascetic son-in-law in high esteem. Sati finds it difficult to bear the insult meted out ot her lord. And when Daksha deliberately slights Shiva, Sati is unable to bear the humiliation and enters the sacred fire. This is the story of the first title, Sati and Shiva. Sati is reborn as Parvati, daughter of Himavat. Kumara Sambhava by Kalidasa, on which our second title is based, narrates the enduring love of Parvati for Shiva and her efforts at winning over her beloved by penances and austerities. Tales of Shiva is the third title in this volume. The first tale is based on the Mahabharata. The story of Shiva appearing as a fisherman is told in the Tamil classic, Tiruvachagam. The story of Markandeya attaining immortality by the grace of Lord Shiva is taken from the Skanda Purana. The legends about the birth and elploits of Ganesha are many; different Puranas giving different versions of the same incidents. Our story, however, is based solely on the Shiva Purana version. The story of Karttikey is found in the Mahabharata, in the Shiva, Skanda and Brahmanda Puranas, and in the Ramayana. Our story is based on the Tamil version of the Skanda-Purana-Samhita.