Sati (goddess)

Sati
Goddess of Marital felicity and Longevity
Shiva carrying the corpse of his consort Sati
Devanagari	सती
Sanskrit transliteration	Satī
Affiliation	Adi Parashakti, Shakti, Devi
Abode	Mount Kailash
Consort	Shiva
Parents	Daksha Prasuti
Siblings	Aditi Khyati Revathi Rohini Diti Svaha Swadha

Satī (Pron:ˈsʌti:) (Devnagri: सती, IAST: satī), or Sati Devi, is also known as Dakshayani (Devanagari: दाक्षायणी, IAST: dākṣāyaṇī). In the Tamil tradition, Sati is called Poovadakari, and in Telugu tradition she is known as Perantalu. Sati is a Hindu goddess of marital felicity and longevity. 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 immolates herself on her husband's funeral 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.