In Hindu mythology, what caused Shiva’s third eye to open?

In Hindu mythology, Shiva’s third eye opened after Parvati covered his two eyes.

A well-known Shaiva story says that Parvati playfully covered Shiva’s eyes while he was seated in meditation. Because Shiva’s eyes represented the sun and moon, the universe was plunged into darkness. To restore cosmic light, a fiery third eye opened on Shiva’s forehead.

The third eye is associated with extraordinary vision, spiritual insight, and destructive fire. In another famous myth, Shiva uses it to burn Kama, the god of desire, when Kama interrupts his meditation. These are related but separate episodes. The third eye is therefore not simply a symbol of anger; in Hindu iconography it can represent the perception of truth beyond ordinary sight and the power to dissolve ignorance or cosmic disorder.