Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

“Wherever I go, disaster will follow, World Honored One, only calamity.”

Shiva turned his gaze to Brahma, saying, "No matter what, it will bring disaster."

Upon hearing this, Brahma said, "Great Deity, if you go there, you will be free from calamity and misfortune. Daksha is my son born of my heart, and I will make him understand—"

"Arrogance has no father, Brahma. An arrogant person does not recognize his own family. How can someone who cannot even understand his own daughter understand his father's words?"

"So, how should this matter be resolved?"

“There is no solution, Venerable One.”

Shiva said calmly, “I know you must participate in the fire ritual, but since Sati has already gone, it is your responsibility not to humiliate her. I can endure the humiliation of myself, but not of Sati.”

Vishnu and Brahma exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say.

Just as the three gods were locked in a stalemate, a blue light flashed by, revealing the figure of the fourth god, Gavia, and his words.

"Making such demands on Vishnu and Brahma, Shiva, isn't that a bit too domineering?"

Gavia said this to Shiva, who was heartbroken.

"..."

When his friend said this to him, Shiva could only turn his head away and remain silent.

Seeing this, Gavia turned one palm upward toward Vishnu:

“How can you not know what Vishnu did for your marriage to Sati?”

After the wedding that Daksha held to humiliate Shiva was broken by Gavial, the couple had to perform a half-kneeling, foot-touching ritual before Daksha, the father-in-law.

This is a traditional Indian greeting, a gesture of respect from a junior to an elder. However, Shiva did not perform this greeting to Daksha, who felt ashamed and left the room without completing the traditional Indian ceremony of the bride's father handing the bride's hand to the groom, signifying the father's approval of his daughter's marriage. This is a highlight of the wedding.

However, because Daksha felt humiliated, his departure could only be completed by Sati's mother. Since it was not blessed by her father, Shiva and Sati's wedding became a Gandharva wedding, foreshadowing the quarrel between the two today.

A Gandharva marriage refers to a marriage between a man and a woman based on the free and unrestrained spirit of Gandharvas. It emphasizes mutual affection and free love between the two parties, without the consent or arrangement of either family, and is not bound by religious ceremonies.

Besides being so angry that he left, Dasha did something else: he attempted to perform a soul-soothing ritual on the still-living Sati.

The Requiem Festival is a supplementary ritual to Indian funerals. At a special time each year, descendants offer water, milk, and food to the Brahmins to worship deceased ancestors, especially parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, to repay the kindness of their ancestors and to nourish their souls so that they may rest in peace.

Besides descendants, blood relatives within seven generations are also permitted to perform requiem rituals for the deceased. Disciples and priests are also allowed to perform these rituals.

Dasha's actions undoubtedly meant that he no longer regarded Sati as his daughter, or even as a daughter who was already dead, because the Requiem Ritual is performed on the dead, and after he performed it, he would completely erase the memory of Sati from his soul, which can be described as extremely cruel.

Just then, Vishnu arrived and stopped Daksha:

“No one can be above the laws of nature, Dasha. This is not right. If you try to force your way above the laws of nature, then you will be my enemy.”

“No, Lord, no! I have become an enemy of Shiva, an enemy of my family, and even an enemy of my father Brahma. How can I live if I am your enemy? Narayana, how can I go on living?”

Facing Vishnu, who is also a deity of form, Daksha dared not treat Vishnu the same way he treated Shiva. Instead, he put his hands together, smiled with utmost devotion, and said...

“Lord, you and the Lord of the Himalayas are my protectors. I will have no way to survive if I disobey my gods. If you wish, I will acknowledge the marriage between Shiva and Sati and also give up the Requiem Festival…”

Then Dasha said:

"But I am also a father. Like any other father in the world, I dream of my daughter having a bright future. The requiem ceremony just now was just a moment of anger. Even if you hadn't come, I wouldn't have taken any action. It was just an angry outburst. After all, how could I entrust my well-mannered daughter to a barbarian like Shiva?"

"Oh?"

Vishnu was almost amused by Daksha's words, but he didn't say anything more because Daksha was indeed a devout believer. "Do you think I would ask you for Sati's sake?"

Daksha immediately shook his head: "Absolutely not, Lord. I agree to your request, but you must also give me a promise."

Vishnu smiled.

"Indeed, you are Daksha, how could you possibly agree without a promise? Tell me, what do you want?"

Immediately, Dasha said, "Whenever I encounter a crisis and need you, you must come to protect me."

"as you wish."

This was the price Vishnu paid to prevent Daksha from performing a soul-soothing ritual on Sati.

Now that Gavial had spoken so bluntly, Shiva was heartbroken, but he couldn't ignore it, so he could only nod in response:

"Ok, I know."

Seeing Shiva nod, Gavia then turned his other hand, palm up, toward Brahma:

“You should know what Brahma did for you.”

Brahma argued with Daksha more than once in order to speak up for Shiva. Although Daksha's initial anger towards Shiva was only because Brahma's head had been cut off, Brahma no longer pursued the matter, but Daksha stubbornly clung to it.

However, since Brahma had already given Daksha the rules of fire sacrifice when he was born, there was not much else he could do.

"Hmm... I know all of that."

Shiva nodded once more.

“Since you know that Brahma is bound by the rules he sets for the fire sacrifice, Vishnu is bound by his promise to Daksha, and you yourself are bound by the vow Sati made to you, how can you unilaterally and forcefully demand that they do things that even they themselves find difficult to do?”

Gavia said calmly.

"You, Shiva, are you perhaps already prepared to destroy the world?"

Shiva remained silent. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kavia gave Vishnu and the Brahma angel a look, indicating that he would handle it and that they should leave first.

The two gods nodded and then left, leaving the space to the two of them.

"Like you, Shiva, I have also foreseen the end of Sati."

When Gavial uttered those words, Shiva could no longer conceal himself. A surge of intense emotion instantly overwhelmed him, and a wave of sorrow welled up within him. Tears, like a fountain or a geyser, slowly streamed down his face.

“…a stubborn woman like that can’t be stopped, Gavia…”

"I know."

"This time, Sati is really going to die..."

"She will be reincarnated."

"But that's not her anymore, I'll never see Sadie again..."

"I know."

"What should I do, Gavia..."

This was perhaps the first time Gavia had witnessed Shiva's 'ugly' state, a state that had been utterly indifferent since their first meeting.

Sati will die and eventually be reborn as Parvati, the goddess of the Himalayas, to be with Shiva. However, the cool and elegant Parvati will never be as stubborn, headstrong, reckless, and passionate as Sati.

"Nandi once told me a story about you and Sati. Nandi said:"

Once, my Lord and his mistress were under a fruit tree. His mistress offered him fruit twice, but he refused both times. However, I knew that my Lord was thinking that if his mistress offered him fruit one more time, he would eat it. Because repeating a sentence three times makes it a wish, and my Lord would fulfill his mistress's wish.

But the mistress did not ask a third time… because you, God of Ga, have come, so they have come to hear you speak of the water-bearer.”

"...Is that so...?"

"Maybe so, or maybe Nandi is just talking nonsense."

Gavia looked up at the sun and smiled, "Although you're a quiet person, Satie is very talkative. I learned about everything that happened when you met from her a long time ago. Don't worry, I'll do something about it."

Sati and Shiva first met in the forest.

Sati looked at Shiva, who resembled a wild man, with curiosity and even asked him his name.

However, Shiva may have been meditating at the time, or perhaps he simply didn't want to engage, which is why he didn't speak immediately.

After thinking for a long time, Satie suddenly said, "Rudaro, I'll call you Rudaro."

Why do you call me by this name?

Shiva asked with some curiosity.

"Because if you have this name, you can run around freely in the forest and in the wilderness."

This is what happened when the two met.

Hearing Gavia say this, Shiva's mind was flooded with memories of the past. Though he couldn't stop the tears from falling, he still raised his head and said:

"No, this is something that cannot be stopped. There's no way to change it. I can transform into a human, but I cannot change my fate..."

Shiva's doubts are correct. If Sati goes to Daksha's fire sacrifice, she will die and become the Parvati, which is part of Lira and part of karma. The fact that he could not stop Sati from going is the best proof of this.

However, such a problem was extremely simple for Gavia.

"Because Shiva, you are my friend."

He smiled and replied.

"And I, Gavia, even if it's not that name, as long as I am still me, will never stand idly by when my friends are in trouble."

I answered sincerely and from the bottom of my heart.

The answer was neither hesitant nor pretentious.

This was both a rule he set for himself and a genuine "desire" to do so.

Shiva was stunned.

“You, Vishnu, and Brahma all have their own limitations in this fire ritual, but I do not. I have no limitations on Daksha, no limitations on the rules, and no limitations on Sati.”

Gavia looked directly into Shiva's eyes and said:

"So believe me, I will definitely do it."

……

The fire festival held in Dasha was held as usual at noon, when the sunlight was dazzling and intense, everything was too bright, and everything was flashing bright white.

In a beautiful and magnificent space where sunlight streams in through large windows adorned with numerous flowers, the grand fire festival held by Daksha begins in Kanakara.

Kanakara, located near the Hindu holy site of Hardwar, is traditionally believed to be the site of Daksha's ceremonies and is also mentioned in the Mahabharata.

At this moment, many immortals surrounded Daksha, who was chanting to the altar in the center, which was laden with offerings:

“O messenger of the gods, Ashani, appear before me at my request.”

"When the God of Fire comes, all the gods will come; when the God of Fire comes, all the gods will come."

The moment the words fell in unison, a fierce fire erupted on the altar.

The fire god Ashani slowly emerged from the crowd, and everyone around him bowed their heads and clasped their hands in respect.

"Welcome, God of Fire, Ashani."

Dasha gestured to one side, "Please take a seat."

With each chant, one deity after another appeared: Indra, the god of heaven; Varuna, the god of the sea; Vayu, the god of the wind; Surya, the god of the sun; Yama, the god of death; Kama, the god of love, and many other gods.

Actually, before the ceremony began, Sati's mother, upon learning that Sati had come alone, had already instructed the guards at the door not to let Sati in. Now, she somewhat regretted extending that invitation to her daughter, because she knew that it had led to an argument between the two, which made her extremely upset and regretful of her rashness...

However, even with such orders, the guards could not stop Sadie from entering, after all, in their eyes Sadie was just a daughter who wanted to see her father.

At the end of the ceremony, Vishnu and his consort, as well as Brahma and his consort, appeared. As for Kavia, she was still with Shiva and therefore could not arrive.

Meanwhile, the gatekeeper of the Himalayas, Vritra, shared a table with Kama again. Although she wasn't the only Asura present, since Daksha had made it clear that anyone could attend the fire festival to show its grandeur, Kama naturally sat down with Vritra, remembering what had happened last time. As for Rhodi, being Daksha's daughter, she stood in the chanting group.

"Your presence at my fire ceremony has brought great honor to my humble abode, and I am deeply grateful. By the way, has the Lord of the Himalayas accepted my invitation?"

Daksha said to Vishnu.

"Yes, Jia should be here shortly."

According to Vishnu, Kavia, who comforted Shiva, would come to the fire sacrifice for the first time for the sake of Sati.

“Daksha, don’t you think it was a big mistake not to invite Shiva?”

Upon hearing Brahma's words, Daksha immediately frowned.

“I did not invite Shiva, could some calamity befall me? Father, did no god or goddess refuse to participate in this fire festival in protest of Shiva’s absence?”

Brahma sighed deeply:

“We all came out of necessity, Daksha. The invited deities for the fire sacrifice had no choice but to appear. However, without Mahasthamaprapta, no fire sacrifice can be completed. Child, you shouldn’t have made an enemy of Shiva. There’s still time. Summon Shiva and ask for his forgiveness. He is Sati’s lover, and he will forgive you. Otherwise, everyone knows Shiva’s wrath, and you will regret it then.”

"Shiva's wrath? That water-holder?"

Daksha laughed, “That water spirit leads evil to wreak havoc in the three realms, and doesn’t even respect the gods of form. His anger is already so savage, so he himself must be even worse! Judging from this, Shiva is not worthy of being regarded as a god of form at all!”

Seeing that Daksha was so stubborn, Brahma could say nothing more and could only sit with Vishnu in the highest position, which only the stern-faced could sit in.

Seeing that Brahma had stopped speaking, Daksha also proceeded with the ritual steps properly.

"Brahma, Father of the World; and Saraswati, Mother of the World." I salute you.