According to Hindu tradition, the sequence of events leading to the creation of stars in the Milky Way begins with the tragic demise of Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva. Sati immolated herself in the fire of her father Daksha's yagna (sacrificial ritual) due to the disrespect shown to her husband, Shiva. Enraged and grief-stricken by the loss of his beloved wife, Shiva manifested his destructive aspect as Veerabhadra, a fierce and wrathful form, and disrupted Daksha's yagna.
During this tumultuous event, Shiva's rage knew no bounds,
and in the heat of the moment, he inadvertently struck Pushan, the Vedic deity
responsible for safe journeys and the protection of travelers, knocking out all
of Pushan's teeth. The force of Shiva's blow was so powerful that it shattered
Pushan's teeth into fragments.
Legend has it that these shattered teeth, propelled by the
immense cosmic energy of Shiva's wrath, were flung into the vast expanse of
outer space. As they scattered across the cosmic void, these broken teeth
transformed into the myriad stars that adorn the celestial canvas of the Milky
Way galaxy.
This mythological narrative beautifully weaves together the
divine, the cosmic, and the earthly, offering a poetic explanation for the
origin of stars within the Milky Way galaxy. It also underscores the
interconnectedness of various celestial and terrestrial phenomena within Hindu
cosmology, where the actions of gods and goddesses shape the very fabric of the
universe.