Virabhadra

In Hindu mythology, a powerful being
who is created by the god Shiva to humble the demigod Daksha and to destroy
Daksha’s sacrifice. Daksha gives his
daughter, Sati, to marry Shiva, but later
he feels that Shiva has not shown him
proper respect. To humble Shiva,
Daksha plans a great sacrifice and
invites all the gods except Shiva. When
Sati asks her father why he has done so,
Daksha responds with a stream of
abuse, excoriating Shiva as worthless
and despicable. Humiliated by these
public insults, Sati commits suicide—in
some versions, by leaping into the sacrificial fire, and in others by withdrawing
into a yogic trance and giving up her life.
In the most common version of
Virabhadra’s creation, Shiva is so
enraged when he learns of Sati’s death
that he tears out two matted locks (jata)
from his head and dashes them to the
ground. One matted lock takes form as
Virabhadra, and the second takes form
as Bhadrakali, a powerful and terrifying
form of the Goddess. Just as Virabhadra
represents Shiva’s destructive aspect,
Bhadrakali represents the ferocious and
dangerous side of the Goddess, in contrast with the gentle and loyal Sati. At
Shiva’s orders, the two demolish
Daksha’s sacrifice, scattering the guests
and destroying the sacred fires, until
Daksha finally repents and worships
Shiva as the supreme deity. Although
Virabhadra’s actions in this story are
destructive, he is and remains Shiva’s
servant, carrying out his divine master’s
commands, a mandate that ultimately
upholds the created order.