Sati was the first wife of the Hindu god Shiva. She married Shiva against the wishes of her father, Raja Daksha, who then undertook a grand fire-sacrifice (yajna) but excluded Shiva and Sati. Sati was gravely offended by this slight against her husband and, in protest, self-immolated on the funeral pyre to ruin the sacrifice. Enraged, Shiva cut off Daksha’s head and danced the twilight Dance of Frenzy (sandhya tandava) (see M.77.154.31and M.74.102.1). The disconsolate Shiva then roamed through the universe carrying Sati’s corpse on his trident. With the universe disrupted by Shiva’s angst, the gods called upon Vishnu to placate Shiva and restore order. Vishnu cut Sati’s cadaver into fifty-one pieces, which fell to earth and gave rise to the formation of pilgrimage locations known as the Shakti Pithas of Shaktism, a goddess-centric sect of Hinduism. Sati was reincarnated as Shiva’s second wife Parvati.
Shiva body is ashen white, having been smeared with cremation ashes. Shiva has his third eye of wisdom and emblematic crescent moon. He wears kanphata (ear-split) rhinoceros horn earrings, a snake necklace, tiger skin loincloth, and leopard skin shawl. He carries the smoldering corpse of Sati on his trident. The dark, star-filled sky contrasts and heightens the dramatic appearance of Shiva and Sati.
