Shiva Purana — The Book of the Great God
The Shiva Purana as an immersive reader — Sati and Parvati, the birth of Ganesha and Kartikeya, and the glory of the twelve jyotirlingas.
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The Shiva Purana in One Sitting
Vidyeshvara Samhita: The Glory of the Linga
Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā1 chapters
Rudra Samhita: Sati, Parvati, and the Divine Family
Rudra Saṃhitā5 chapters
Sati and the Sacrifice of Daksha
Sati weds Shiva against her father Daksha's wishes, and when Daksha slights Shiva at his great sacrifice she gives up her body in the fire, setting in motion Shiva's grief and wrath.
The Penance of Parvati
Sati is reborn as Parvati, daughter of the mountain king Himavat, and undertakes severe austerities to win the ascetic Shiva as her husband.
The Marriage of Shiva and Parvati
After his union with Parvati is tested and confirmed, Shiva is wed to her amid the gods, uniting the ascetic and the Goddess and founding the divine household.
The Birth of Ganesha
Parvati fashions a son to guard her door; Shiva, refused entry, beheads him, then restores his life with an elephant's head, and Ganesha becomes lord of beginnings and remover of obstacles.
The Birth of Kartikeya
From Shiva's fiery seed, nurtured by the Krittikas and the Ganga, is born Kartikeya, the war-god who is destined to lead the armies of the gods against the demon Taraka.
