Shiva made him the head of the Ganas and also made him his vehicle. After this, Shilaad and Nandi went to Lord Shiva’s abode. Shiva said that he would remove the curse of early death for Nandi but added that Nandi would now take the form of a half-man, half-bull. He also gave him a bell necklace as a gift. The lord was pleased with his prayers and appeared before him. He decided to do penance in order to propitiate Lord Shiva. When Nandi heard about this, he felt worried, knowing that his father would be grief-stricken. They gave him the blessing of a long life but also mentioned that his son Nandi would die young, when he was 8 years old.

Some years later, Lord Varun and Lord Mitra came before Shilaad as they were happy with his worship of them. Lord Shiva blessed the sage and soon, sage Shilaad came across a baby in the fields and began to raise him. Lord Indra then told him to pray to Lord Shiva. However, some texts claim that it was sage Shilaad who had requested Lord Indra for a child who would be immortal and strong. They were very happy and named the child Nandi, which means joyous. After worshipping Lord Shiva for a long time, Rishi Kashyap’s wife delivered a baby boy. He and his wife Surabhi longed for a child to carry on their lineage. The Vayu Purana has a story about Rishi Kashyap who had no children. Nandi is usually depicted in a seated position with legs folded, before Lord Shiva. The bull, Nandi, is the vehicle of Lord Shiva, one of the three, most powerful gods in Hindu theology.

Nandi purana in english