Shatarupa

In Hindu history, when Brahma was creating the universe, he made a female deity known as Shatarupā[1] (śata-rūpā = "she of a hundred beautiful forms/one who can acquire hundred forms"). According to the Matsya Purana, Shatarupa was known by different names, including Satarupa, Sandhya and Brahmi. According to Brahma Purana, Shatarupa is regarded as the first woman to be created by Brahma along with Manu.[2]

Hindu mythology uses a story to explain Brahma’s four heads. When Brahma created Shatarupa, he was immediately infatuated and pursued her wherever she went. Shatarupā moved in various directions to avoid his gaze but wherever she went, Brahmā developed another head until he had four, one for each direction of the compass. Desperate, Shatarupa leaped over him to stay out of his gaze even for a moment. A fifth head, however, appeared above the others. Thus, Brahmā developed five heads. At this moment Shiva appeared, determined that since Shatarupā was Brahma's creation, it was wrong and merged into devi Mookambika and formed the Ardhanarishvara, translated as "half-man and half-woman god." Shiva told Brahma that males and females are both the same as their souls are exactly the same, and the soul doesn’t have a gender only material. The outer body is different only because of different body parts.

Shatarupa married Svayambhuva Manu and had five children — two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, and three daughters, Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasuti.[3] Manu handed over his first daughter Ākūti to the sage Ruci, the middle daughter, Devahūti, to the sage Kardama, and the youngest, Prasūti, to the god Daksha.