Chapter 4 - Satī’s Self-immolation by Yoga

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Maitreya said:

1. Having said this much. Śaṅkara became silent, as he anticipated the destruction (death) of his wife’s body, in either case (whether he permits her to go or refuses to do so). Satī who was eager to see her friends and relatives, but was afraid of Śaṅkara, became indecisive (two in mind). (Like an oscillating pendulum) she went out (to see her relatives), and returned (for fear of Śiva).

2. Satī was troubled in her mind by the thwarting of her desire to see her kith and kin. Out of affection, she burst into tears and wept in utter despondence. She trembled in rage. She looked in wrath at the peerless Śiva, as if she would burn him.

3. Then she lost her judgment, due to her womanly nature. Heaving heavy sighs, and with her heart tormented by grief and anger, she went to her parents’ house, leaving him (Śiva) who is beloved of saintly persons and who, out of love, had given half of his body to her.

4. Thousands of followers of the three-eyeḍ-god (Śiva) including personal attendants and Yakṣas like Maṇiman, Mada and others, and with Nandikeśvara at the head, hastily yet fearlessly (or with saddened heart at her disobedience to Śiva), went after Satī who set out all alone, with quick pace.

5. They made her ride the best of the bulls (Nandikeśvara). They accompanied her, taking with them Sārikās (singing birds), balls, mirrors and lotuses (for her entertainment), a white umbrella, chowries, and garlands (her insignia of royalty) and musical instruments like kettle-drums, conchs and flutes.

6. She entered the place of sacrifice where Vedic hymns were loudly chanted by Brāhmaṇas, keenly competing with each other in reciting Vedic mantras^[1], where Brāhmaṇa sages and divinities were in attendance; where on sides were (seen) vessels and utensils made of clay, wood, iron, gold, darbha grass and hides.

7. Being afraid of the sacrificer (Dakṣa), who treated her insultingly, nobody except her mother and sisters, dared to welcome her, on her arrival. They (her mother and sisters), however, eagerly and rapturously embraced her, with their throats choked with tears of affection.

8. Satī who was not welcomed by her father, did not accept the hospitality and the seat of honour respectfully offered to her by her mother and maternal aunts. Nor did she pay attention to her sisters’ affectionate enquiries about her health etc.

9. Seeing the sacrifice being performed without offering the due share to Rudra, and the insulting treatment meted out to Lord Śiva by her father, the great goddess Satī, who herself was not given proper reception at the sacrificial assembly, became enraged, as if she would burn the worlds in anger.

10. By her divine lustre, the goddess Satī controlled the hosts of goblins (who accompanied her) who sprang to their feet (to destroy the sacrifice). But within the hearing of the whole world, she censured (Dakṣa), the enemy of Śiva who was proud of his exertions in the path of smoke (i.e. was puffed up with performance of great sacrifices), in accents faltering with anger.

11. “Who else than you would behave inimically towards the Lord, who is above enmity? To him nobody is superior in the world. Though he is the beloved Soul of all embodied beings, nobody is dear or hateful to him. He is the cause of all.

12.^[2] Oh Dvija! Persons who are jealous like you, discover faults in the virtues of others (and not merits) are called mean. Those who, occupying a middle position, note merits and demerits as they are, are regarded as great. Good people note only the merits and not the weaknesses (and these are greater). The greatest ones do not see the defect at all, but they magnify even the minutest good points.

13. It is no wonder that out of jealousy, there is always the malicious condemnation of the great among unrighteous persons who look upon this inert material body as the Soul. The glory (of such slanderers) is obscured by the dust of the feet of those great men. Hence it befits these (slanderers to revile the good Souls).

14. Alas! Your honour has become inauspicious, as you hate god Śiva, whose fame is holy and commands inviolable, and whose name of two syllables (Śi-va) if incidentally uttered by the tongue even once, destroys all the sins of men (who utter it).

15. Your honour is hating (Śiva), that friend and protector of the universe. His lotuslike feet are resorted to by the bee-like minds of the great (sages like Sanaka etc.), who long to taste the winelike honey of Brahmānanda (bliss of being absorbed in Brahman)—Feet which shower blessings upon people desirous of worldly objects (irrespective of their worthiness to receive them.)

16.^[3] You say that god Śiva is inauspicious—a-śiva—in his dress and behaviour. If that be so, do not gods etc. other than your honour, (such as Brahmā and others) who wear on their heads flowers etc. fallen from his feet, know that he is auspicious (śiva) only in name but is really inauspicious—Śiva who with his dishevelled matted locks of hair, dwells in the cremation grounds in company of goblins, and. who decorates himself with the flower-garlands, ashes (of funeral pyres) and skulls lying there?

17. When the Supreme Lord (Śiva), the protector of religion, is blasphemed by restraintless people, one should shut one’s ears and leave the place if he is powerless (to kill the slanderer or die in the action). If he is powerful enough, he should, by force, cut off the vituperative tongue which utters such evil words, and lay down his own life (if necessary for that). Such is the course of righteous duty (dharma).

18. I, therefore, shall not retain this body which is born of you, the slanderer of Śiva. For, the wise people say that the remedy for eating of the. impure food taken in through ignorance, is to vomit it out.

19. The mind of the great sage who finds joy in his own Self, does not necessarily follow Vedic statements (regarding injunctions and prohibitions). Just as the movements of celestial beings and men are different (the former through the sky and the latter on the earth) a person who follows his own course of duty, should not find fault with another following a different path.

20. It is true that karmas of two kinds—pravṛtta (sacrificial acts etc.) and nivṛtta (self-control, renunciation etc.) are prescribed in the Vedas, severally, for two distinct types of men—one characterised by attachment to worldly objects and the other, by absence of it. Both the types of karmas cannot be found (practicable) simultaneously in the same agent. But no duty of doing a karma of any kind devolves upon the Brahman (god Śiva).

21. (You need not entertain the pride that you are affluent and Rudra is a pauper for), the mystic powers (siddhis like aṇimā etc.) possessed by us, can never be yours, oh father. They are not found (attained) in sacrificial halls (by performance of sacrifices). The cause of our (attainment of) powers is unmanifest (as they depend on our will). They are enjoyed by Avadhūtas (knowers of Brahman who have renounced everything). While your path is extolled by creatures following the path of smoke (karma-mārga) who are gratified with the food offered in sacrifices.

22. Now enough of this impure body born of you who have sinned against (offended) Lord Śiva. I have been ashamed of my kinship with an unworthy father. Fie upon the birth from a man who vilifies the great Souls.

23. When (out of joke) Lord Śiva (the bull-bannered god) refers to your gotra by addressing me as “Dākṣāyaṇī” (Dakṣa’s daughter), I immediately lose all joyfulness and smiles, and become extremely pained at heart. Therefore, I shall give up this body (corpse) begotten of you.”

Maitreya said:

24. Oh vanquisher of enemies! Having thus addressed Dakṣa in the sacrificial hall, she sat silently on the ground with her face to north. She wore a yellow garment. She touched water (i.e. sipped it as in ācamana), and closing her eyes, she entered the yogic path (for casting off her material body).

25. Steady in her yogic posture, she controlled prāṇa and apāna equally at the navel. Forcing up the vital air called udāna from the mystic plexus at the navel (maṇipūra cakra), she gradually brought it up and steadied it along with intellect at the mystical plexus in the heart. The pure, sinless lady brought it through her throat to (ājñā cakra), the mystical plexus in the midregion of the eyebrows.

26. Thus, out of her anger against Dakṣa, she desired to cast off her body which was many times lovingly placed (and caressed) on his lap by god Śiva, the most exalted amongst the great. The strong-willed lady instituted the yogic contemplation (dhāraṇā) of fire and wind in her limbs (body).

27. Then meditating on the bliss of the lotus-like feet of her lord, the preceptor of the world (Lord Śiva), Satī (was so absorbed that she) perceived nothing else. She destroyed all impurities. And her body was soon ablaze with fire produced by her samadhi (yogic concentration).

28. There arose a tremendous uproar of grief (‘alas! alas!!’) both in the heaven and on the earth by those who- witnessed the great miracle. “Alas! provoked by (her father) Dakṣa, Satī, the beloved spouse of Lord Śiva, had thrown away her life.

29. Oh! Look at the enormous wickedness of the Lord, of Creation (Dakṣa) from whom are born all creatures, mobile and immobile. His high-souled daughter who always deserved honour, had to give up her life, due to insults inflicted by him.

30. This Dakṣa of intolerant (jealous) heart, the hater of the Brahman, will reap great infamy in this world. This enemy of god Śiva did not prevent his own daughter, while she prepared for death, on account of the disrespectful treatment meted out to her.”

31. While the people were criticising thus, at the sight of the miraculous self-immolation of Satī, her attendants rose with their weapons to kill Dakṣa.

32. Having noticed the vehemence of the on-rushing attendants of Śiva, venerable Bhṛgu offered oblations in the sacrificial fire called dakṣiṇāgni reciting the mantras of Yajur- veda efficacious to kill the destroyers of the sacrifice.

33. While the priest adhvaryu (viz. Bhṛgu) poured the oblation, gods called Ṛbhus who had secured share in the soma juice by their austere penance, rose up in thousands, (from the sacrificial pit) with great force.

34. Beaten by the gods who were armed with fire brands and who were resplendent with Brahmanic lustre, all the attendants of Śiva, pramathas and guhyakas dispersed in various directions.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ā-brahma-vaiśasam [vaiśasam]: OR ‘Where the sacrificial act of killing the animal is sanctified by the loud chanting of Vedic hymns.’—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā

Dīpinī brands this as ‘coarse’ (aślīla) and prefers the explanation given above. All commentators do the same.

[2]:

Literally: Oh Dvija! People like you detect (see) faults even in the good qualities of others; but no good person does this. Those who magnify even the trifling merits in others are the greatest of all. You have however found fault with them (great persons).

[3]:

Bhāgavata Candrikā is hard put to it to reconcile this verse with the injunction in the Sāttvata-tantra that no god other than Nārāyaṇa should be respected (nānyaṃ devaṃ namas-kuryāt etc.). He says that injunction is restricted to those who are trying for mokṣa.

He concludes:

sarva-devatānām brahmātmakatvena-anusandhānaṃ tvaviruddham-eveti na virodhaḥ /