Sati Gives up Her Life

Narada said

Sati, loved by Shankara, was silent. Vidhatri, what happened after that? Please tell me, out of affection.

Brahma replied

Lovingly remembering her husband, Devi Sati was silent. With a tranquil mind she quickly sat on the ground facing south, sipped water, purified herself and covered herself with her garment. She closed her eyes and, remembering her husband, entered the path of yoga. Wan-faced, she balanced the two breaths of life, prana and apana, then lifted udana up from the navel chakra. With her intelligence Sati raised it to her heart, then her throat, and finally to the middle of her eyebrows. She was loved by Shankara more than his own life, and so, in anger at Daksha, Sati suddenly gave up her life. Taking the path of yoga and holding the pure breath of life, she burned her body. She thought only of her husband's feet. Her intelligence fixed on yoga, that was all Sati saw. Purified of sins, the body became fire, and by her own wish she reduced it to ashes at once.

Those on earth and in the sky who witnessed it cried out; there were strange, wonderful cries of lament that frightened the gods and others. "Alas, Devi Sati, dearest to Shambhu and like a goddess, has given up her life! Which extremely wicked person angered her? Behold the terrible thing Daksha has done, he who is Prajapati's son and lord of all moving and unmoving things. The spirited Devi Sati was distressed in mind. The virtuous should always look on Vrishadhvaja's beloved with respect. Shame on the Prajapati who hates the brahman and has intolerance in his heart; he will gain endless ill fame on earth. His daughter was born of his own body and he went on to hate Shambhu. When he dies, because of his crime, he will suffer great miseries in hell." So people spoke, seeing this extraordinary act of Sati giving up her body.

Her attendants were suddenly full of wrath. They stood and raised their weapons. All the ganas stationed at the door were angry, and Shambhu's attendants, extremely strong and enraged, lamented and cried "Shame!" The valiant leaders of Shankara's ganas raised loud cries of lament that filled the directions, and all the gods and sages there were afraid. Consulting one another, the angry ganas lifted their weapons and began to destroy, and the clash of weapons spread in every direction. Some, overcome with grief, cut their own limbs with their weapons; others with those razor-sharp life-taking weapons cut off their own heads and faces. In this way, when Dakshayani died, twenty thousand ganas died with her, an extraordinary thing. When they were gone, the rest of great-souled Shankara's ganas stood and raised their weapons. Angry, they rushed forward to kill Daksha. Seeing them advancing swiftly to destroy the sacrifice, the illustrious Bhrigu chanted mantras of the Yajur Veda and poured offerings into the southern fire. As Bhrigu made the offerings, thousands of giant, exceedingly valiant asuras called Ribhus arose. They used liquids on fire as weapons and fought a terrible battle with the pramathas; even hearing of it makes the hair stand up. The Ribhus were extremely brave, full of the brahman's energy, and cut down the pramathas in every direction, who could no longer hold their ground. Slaughtered so, Shiva's ganas fled swiftly. This extraordinary event came about by the will of Shiva and Mahashakti. Seeing it, the rishis, the gods, Shakra and the others, the host of Maruts, the Vishvadevas, the Ashvins and the guardians of the world were silent. Some from every direction pleaded with Lord Vishnu, anxious, and consulted repeatedly the one who removes obstacles. Some with good sense thought long about what the outcome of it all would be, and were deeply anxious. The gods, Vishnu and others had heard the sounds of destruction again and again. So the sacrifice of the evil-souled one met obstacles. Daksha was Brahma's relative and hated Shankara.