Daksha had a daughter named Ahalya who was married to the sage Goutama. (In other Puranas, Ahalya is stated to be Brahma’s daughter.) Goutama and Ahalya had four daughters named Jaya, Vijaya, Jayanti and Aparajita. Sati was thus their aunt and they were her constant companions.

Daksha did not invite Shiva and Sati to his yajna.

Jaya, however, came to visit Sati on Mount Mandara.

“How are you, Jaya?” asked Sati. “Where are Vijaya, Jayanti and Aparajita?”

“They have gone to attend to yajna,” replied Jaya. “Why are you not going? Everyone is going there, all the gods and all the sages. Why have you and Shiva not been invited?”

Sati had not known about the ceremony and had not known that they had not been invited. She was so mortified on hearing Jaya’s words that she died on the spot.

(In other Puranas, the account is slightly different. There is no mention of Jaya at all. Hearing about the yajna, Sati went to attend it, although she had not been invited. But her father Daksha insulted Shiva and unable to bear the criticism of her husband, Sati died.)

Jaya started to wail at Sati’s death and the sound of the wailing brought Shiva there. He was thunderstruck on finding Sati dead and his anger knew no bounds when he discovered the reason for her death. His entire frame shone with the flames of fury. And from Shiva’s body-hair there emerged a terrible demon known as Virabhadra. He had four arms and the face of a lion.

Shiva, Virabhadra and Jaya invaded the place where the ceremony was being held. Virabhadra guarded the northern gate with a trident, Jaya the south-eastern with a mace, and Shiva himself stood in the center. (In other Puranas, Virabhadra was responsible for the destruction. Shiva took no direct part in it an there is no mention of Jaya.)

The gods and the sages were frightened at the arrival of these three. Yama, the god of death, attacked Virabhadra and the two began to fight. Virabhadra soon put paid to Yama’s martial ambitions. He also easily defeated all the other gods who came to fight, the eight vasus, the twelve adityas, the eleven rudras, Indra, the vishvadevas, the sadhyas, and the many demons who came to help the gods. The gods fled in disarray.

Virabhadra now turned his attention to the sages who were busy chanting mantras (incantations). They too fled and sought refuge with Vishnu.

Vishnu himself arrived to take care of Virabhadra. The two shot arrows at one another. Vishnu struck Virabhadra with a mace and Virabhadra retaliated with a trident. Vishnu has an invincible weapon known as sudarshana chakra (a bladed discus). He hurled this at Virabhadra. But so great was Virabhadra’s fighting prowess that he managed to repel this as well. This angered Vishnu and he began to wrestle with Virabhadra. Virabhadra lost the wrestling bout and went and reported the news of his defeat to Shiva.

Shiva now decided to join the fight himself. Vishnu run away. The vasus were so scared that they hid in the form of a river named Sita. The rudras decided that the best course of action was to merge into Shiva’s body. The adityas, the vishvadevas, the sandhyas and the other gods fled. The moon-god Chandra sought refuge in the sky with the stars.

Several gods were killed by Shiva. There was a sage named Pusha. Shiva caught hold of him and whirled him around in the air. He then smashed all of Pusha’s teeth with his fists.

(There is some variance with the accounts in the other Puranas. The Kurma Purana states that it was Virabhadra who smashed Pusha’s teeth. The Mahabharata states that it was Shiva who caused the damage, but with a kick, rather than with a blow of the fists. Pusha is also identified with the sun-god Surya. The account in the Vamana Purana suggests that it was the sun-god, and not a sage, who was the object of Shiva’s attentions.)

There was another sage named Bhaga (also identified with Surya). Shiva plucked out Bhaga’s eyes. (Again, some other Puranas hold Virabhadra responsible for this mishap. But the Mahabharata states that it was Shiva who inflicted the damage).