Sati | |
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Goddess of Power and Goddess of Marital Felicity and Longevity | |
Shiva carrying the corpse of his consort Sati
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Devanagari | सती |
Sanskrit transliteration | Satī |
Affiliation | Adi Parashakti, Shakti, Devi |
Abode | Mount Kailash |
Personal Information | |
Consort | Shiva |
Parents | |
Siblings |
Satī (ˈsʌti:) (Sanskrit: सती), is also known as Dākṣāyaṇī (Sanskrit: दाक्षायणी, lit. daughter of Daksha). In the Tamil tradition, Sati is called Tamil: தாட்சாயிணி Tāṭcāyiṇi, and in Telugu tradition she is known as Perantalu. Sati is the goddess of marital felicity and longevity in Hinduism. An aspect of Adi Parashakti, Dakshayani is the first consort of Shiva, the second being Parvati who is the reincarnation of Sati.
In Hindu legend, both Sati and Parvati, successively play the role of bringing Shiva away from ascetic isolation into creative participation with the world. The act of Sati, in which a Hindu widow self-immolates on her husband's pyre as a final and consummate act of loyalty and devotion, is patterned after the deed committed by this goddess to uphold the honour of her husband.
Queen Prasuti desired a daughter, Lord Brahma advised her and her husband Daksha to meditate upon the Goddess Adi-Parashakti. They gave up their royal robes, put on the guises of saints, and sat in a forest and meditated upon Goddess Adi-Parashakti. After a long time, Goddess Adi-Parashakti appeared awakening Daksha and Prasuti from their penance. Adi Parashakti invited them to request the desired boon from her, Daksha asked the Goddess to take birth again as their daughter. The Goddess gave them their consent but also gave them a warning that if ever she should be insulted, she would take up her Celestial form and disown them. Daksha and Prasuti agreed to take care of her.
Back in their palace, Adi Parashakti again took human birth at the bidding of Lord Brahma. Daksha and Prasuti named their daughter Sati. Daksha was a son of Brahma and a great king in his own right. As the daughter of King Daksha, Sati is also known as Dakshayani. Sati was a newborn to Daksha and Prasuti's 23 daughters. In bidding of Adi-Parashakti to take human birth, Brahma's design was that she would please Shiva with humble devotions and wed him. It was natural that Sati, even as a child, adored the tales and legends associated with Shiva told by sage Narada 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.