Lord Shiva And Nandi

According to a legend, Surabhi was the original mother of all the cows. she began to give birth to a lot of cows. The milk from all these cows flooded the home of Lord Shiva. Angry at this disturbance to his meditation, the god struck the cows with fire from his third eye. Seeing this, the other gods sought to calm Lord Shiva down by offering him a magnificent bull - Nandi, the son of Surabhi and Kasyapa, which he accepted and rode. Nandi also became the protector of all animals.