Many are wondering since when did Shiva father daughters? Everyone has heard of his famous sons: Ganesha and Kartikeya. But daughters? Ashoka Sundari? Where did she come from?
The whole idea of Shiva Puran is to describe the gradual socialization of Shiva, from hermit to householder. And this means becoming a father and taking responsibility for fatherhood. As a hermit, Shiva is detached and disengaged with the world. But the Goddess is determined to make him participate. In that, she is helped by Vishnu and all the other gods. In Tamil temple lore, Vishnu is her brother and Brahma her father.Together they want this ascetic to establish a home.Only then will his great wisdom and his powers benefit the world at large.
And so children are required. Thus sons are born. Notice how the two popular sons take care of humanity’s most basic needs. Ganesha is associated with food that helps us cope with our fear of starvation. Kartikeya is associated with warfare that is necessary to defend ourselves from predators. Thus through his two sons, Shiva provides and protects.
But this ‘male preference’ has not been unnoticed by the devotees and the sages. And so across folk traditions there are references to his daughters.The story of Ashoka Sundari comes from the vrat-kathas of Gujarat and neighboring areas. She was created from a tree by Parvati to give her freedom from loneliness. She was called Ashoka as she got rid of Parvati’s sorrow.(Shoka) and Sundari because she was beautiful. Nothing much is known of her except that she was present at the time Ganesha was beheaded and she hid behind a sack of salt in fear, angering her mother, who was later pacified by her father. She is associated with salt, that ingredient without which life is unsavory.
In Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, one occasionally comes across Jyoti, the goddess of light, who emerges from Shiva’s halo and is the physical manifestation of his grace. She is commonly associated with Kartikeya.
The birth of Ashoka Sundari is recorded in the Padma Purana. In one of the variants about tale of Nahusha, Parvati once requested Shiva to take her to the most beautiful garden in the world. As per her wishes, Shiva took her to Nandanvana, where Parvati saw a tree known as Kalpavriksha. Parvati asked for a daughter from the wish fulfilling tree to get rid of her loneliness. Her wish was granted and Ashoka Sundari was born. Parvati promised that she would marry her to Nahusha of the lunar dynasty, who would be equal to Indra, the king of heaven. Once, Ashoka Sundari was roaming in Nandanvana with her maids, a rakshasa (demon) called Hunda saw her and fell in her love. However, the goddess rejected the advances of the demon and informed him about her destiny to marry Nahusha.
Hunda disguised himself as a widow, whose husband was killed by him, and asked Ashoka Sundari to accompany her to her hermitage. The goddess went with the disguised demon and reached his palace. She came to know of his treachery and cursed him to be killed by Nahusha and escaped to her parents' abode Kailash. Hunda kidnaps the infant Nahusha from his palace, however he is rescued by a maid of Hunda and given under the sage Vashistha's care. After a few years Nahusha grows up and understands about his destiny to kill Hunda. Hunda abducts Ashoka Sundari and tells her that he had killed Nahusha. The goddess was consoled by a Kinnara couple who informed her of Nahusha's wellbeing and prophesized that she would mother a powerful son called Yayati and a hundred beautiful daughters. Nahusha fought Hunda and defeated him after a fierce battle and rescued Ashoka Sundari, whom he married. Over course of time, in absence of Indra, Nahusha was temporarily made the regent of heaven.
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