Sati (Hindu goddess)

Daksha was the son of the creator god Brahma. He married Prasuti, daughter of Manu and Shatarupa, and had many daughters. Sati was the youngest and his favourite.[13][14][15][note 3] According to the Shakta (goddess-oriented) texts including Devi Bhagavata and the Mahabhagavata Purana, Brahma advised Daksha to meditate upon the Great goddess and convince her to take an avatar as their daughter (Sati). The goddess agreed but warned that if he mistreated her, she will abandon that body.[18][19][20][11][21]

Sati, even as a child, adored the tales and legends associated with Shiva and grew up an ardent devotee. As she grew to womanhood, the idea of marrying anyone else, as intended by her father, became unfair to her. It is believed that Brahma's intention was to get Sati, the avatar of Shakti, married to Shiva and bring him into the worldly affairs.[19][22][23]

In Hinduism, Sati is considered as an ideal lady. The painting depicts her receiving gifts before her wedding from Kubera and his wife.[24]

Sati is believed to be very beautiful but the legends mention her penance and devotion, which won the heart of the ascetic Shiva.[25][26] According to the legend, Sati left the luxuries of her father's palace and retired to a forest to devote herself to austerities of a hermetic life and the worship of Shiva. She was often tested by Shiva or his attendants. Finally, Shiva acceded to her wishes and consented to make her his bride. Despite Daksha's unwillingness, the wedding was held in due course with Brahma serving as the priest. Sati made her home with Shiva in Kailash.[25] Tension between Shiva and Daksha further arises when Daksha starts to dislike Shiva because of his odd appearance and behaviour.[2][27]

Some texts diverge, however. In the 18th century Svathani Katha, when Daksha refused to give Sati, Vishnu disguised Shiva as a sanyasi and had him marry her.[note 4][27] According to the version found in Mahabhagvata Purana, Daksha arranged Sati's Swayamvar (self-choice ceremony), where all except Shiva were invited, nevertheless Sati chose Shiva and they were married.[20][note 5] While many versions mention Daksha's objections to the marriage, the Shiva Purana doesn't mention any harsh opposition, though he starts to develop a deep hatred after the wedding.[27]

Different scenes from the event.

The most prominent legend associated with Sati is her self-immolation to protest against her father.[14][12][28] The first text to mention this event is the Taittariya Samhita, later it appears in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.[29] However details appear in Tantra literature, in Kalidasa's lyrical Kumarasambhava, the Harivamsa and the Puranas.[30]

According to the most popular narration of this event, Daksha organized a yajna (fire sacrifice) to which all the deities, except Sati and Shiva, were invited. Wanting to visit her relatives, Sati sought to rationalize this omission and reasoned that as family, such formality was unnecessary. Shiva tried to stop her as he knew that Daksha will humiliate her, but when she was not convinced, he provided her with an escort of his gana attendants. Sati was received by her mother and her sisters, but Daksha was furious by her uninvited arrival and humiliated her and mocked Shiva. Wanting to break all ties with her father and uphold the honour of her husband, Sati burnt her body.[31][18][32]

Deeply hurt by the loss of his beloved wife, Shiva performed the destructive Tandava dance. He created two ferocious creatures — Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, who wreaked mayhem at the sacrificial place. Nearly all those present were felled overnight; Daksha was decapitated by Veerbhadra. After that night, Shiva, who is considered the all-forgiving, restored all those who were slain to life and granted them his blessings. Daksha was restored both to life and to kingship. His severed head was substituted for that of a goat.[14][33][2]

There are varying accounts of this event. Some texts suggest that before Sati's death, Shakti promised that she will be reborn to a father who merits her respect and remarry Shiva.[34] The Devi Bhagavata Purana adds that after Sati's marriage, Daksha polluted a sacred flower garland. As a result, he was cursed to hate his beloved daughter.[19] At the sacrificial place, Daksha discarded Sati's gifts and humiliated, she used her cosmic powers and burnt her body.[32] The Mahabhagavata Purana presents Sati as a fierce warrior. When Shiva prevented Sati from visiting the event, she transformed into the ten fearsome Mahavidya goddesses led by Kali, and surrounded him from the ten cardinal directions.[14][35] Seeing his wife's powers, Shiva allowed her.[36] Sati, transformed as Kali, went to the sacrifice and split herself into two entities — one invisible and another just Chhaya (shadow or clone). Chhaya Sati destroyed the sacred event by jumping into the sacrificial fire, while the "invisible" Sati consoled Shiva and told him to create the Shakti Peethas.[37][18][38][39] The Brihaddharma Purana (c. 13th century) narrates the creation of the Mahavidyas but there is no mention of Sati splitting into two. She retains her calming nature after Shiva allowed her.[39][40] The most drastic change in this text is the absence of the self-immolation of Sati. Instead, the text mentions that she cursed her father and quit her body in a Himalayan cave.[39][18] The Kalika Purana does not mention Sati going to the event, instead it is found that Sati left her body using a yogic process, after her niece Vijaya informed her about the yajna.[18][32]

Shiva carrying Sati's corpse, followed by Vishnu's Sudharshana chakra, 19th century lithograph.

Another important legend associated with Sati is the formation of the Shakti Peetha. Shakti Peethas are shrines or divine places of the Mother Goddess, believed to have enshrined with the presence of Shakti due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati. It is believed that an enraged Shiva performed the Tandava dance with Sati's charred body, which led her body came apart and the pieces fell at different places on earth.[41][42] In a more detailed narration found in some texts, Shiva, crazed with grief, roamed with Sati's corpse throughout the universe, causing universal imbalance. The divinities called upon the god Vishnu to restore Shiva to normalcy and calm. Vishnu used his Sudarshana Chakra (discus weapon) to dismember Sati's cadaver, following which Shiva regained his equanimity.[2]

The legend ends with Sati's body being dismembered into many pieces which fell on earth at various places. Several different listings of these holy places, known as Shakti Peethas, are available; some of these places have become major centers of pilgrimage as they are held by the Goddess-oriented Shakta sect to be particularly holy. Besides main Shakti Peethas, some small peethas like Bindudham came into existence which are due to Sati's fallen blood drops.

A depressed Shiva returned to his ascetic world while Sati was reborn as Parvati, daughter of Himavat, king of the mountains and personification of the Himalayas, and his wife, Mena. Himavat appreciated Shiva ardently. Consequently, Parvati like Sati, won Shiva over by her penance and married him.[22][7]