Satī’s Test of Rāma (Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa)

In the Tretā Yuga, Bhagavān Śiva and Satī were going home from the āśrama of Agastya. On the way Śiva saw Bhagavān Rāma in the Daṇḍakāraṇya forest, searching for Sītā, who had been carried away by Rāvaṇa. Śiva bowed to Rāma from far away. Satī could not understand why her husband would bow to a prince who was weeping for his wife, and her mind filled with doubt. She took the form of Sītā to test Rāma. Rāma knew her at once. Because of this act, Śiva made a silent vow to see Satī only as a mother from that moment on.

The journey from Agastya’s āśrama

In the Tretā Yuga, Śiva visited the āśrama of the great ṛshi Agastya together with his wife Satī. Agastya, who was born from a kumbha (pot), honoured Bhavānī and Śaṅkara with devotion and sang the Rāma-kathā (the story of Rāma) for them. Parameśvara was pleased and gave Agastya the knowledge of Hari-bhakti-tattva (the truth of devotion to Bhagavān Hari). After some days at the āśrama, Śiva took leave of Agastya and set out for Kailāsa with Satī at his side.

Śiva recognises Rāma

As they travelled, Śiva’s eyes fell on Rāmachandra. He had taken birth in the Raghu dynasty to take the burden from the earth. Now he was wandering in grief through the Daṇḍakāraṇya after Rāvaṇa had carried off Sītā. Śiva watched Rāma search the forest in pain, crying like an ordinary man overcome by separation.

In his heart Śiva thought: Bhagavān Rāma moves in the world without being known, acting out his līlā (divine play). If Śiva went up to him openly, the secret of the avatāra would become known to everyone. So Śiva said quietly, “Jaya saccidānanda jagapāvana,” saluted Rāma from a distance, and went on.

Satī’s doubt

Satī had seen her husband bow with respect to the wandering prince, and she was astonished. She thought: “Śiva is the lord of the world, loved by devas, asuras, Garuḍa, Gandharvas and all beings. Why does he salute a mortal who is full of grief because he has lost his wife? Can the formless Parabrahman really take a human body? And if so, how could he weep for a lost wife like an ignorant man?” These doubts turned in her mind, born of divine māyā (the power of illusion).

Śiva is sarvajña (all-knowing), and he saw her doubt at once. He told her gently that Rāma was Parabrahman himself, who had come down in the Raghu line for the good of his devotees, and that Rāma is the ishṭadevatā (the chosen deva) whom Śiva himself worships. But the force of māyā was too strong, and Satī’s doubt did not go away. Śiva saw this, smiled quietly and said: “Satī, go and test Rāma yourself. I shall wait under this banyan tree.” Even as he gave her leave, a feeling came into his heart that this would bring harm to Satī.

The test: Satī takes Sītā’s form

Satī set out toward the place where Rāma and Lakshmaṇa were, and planned her test. She took the very form and look of Sītā and stood in the path of the two brothers as they came.

Lakshmaṇa saw what seemed to be Sītā, and for a moment he was confused. But Rāmachandra, who knows all, saw through the disguise the moment he looked. He smiled, went up to her with folded hands and said: “O Satī! Are you well? Where is Vrishaketu [Śiva]? Why do you wander alone in this forest?” These gentle, knowing words were both a greeting and a showing of the truth. Satī blushed with shame. She bowed her head, gave a quick praṇāma (bow) to Dāśarathi, and turned back toward the place where Śiva waited.

As she went, Rāma chose to show her a glimpse of his true nature. He showed his Virāṭ-rūpa (his form as the whole universe). She saw Hari and Hara, Brahmā, Lakshmī, Sarasvatī and Pārvatī, the thirty crore devas and all the ṛshis standing in attendance, the whole shining universe resting on his divine form. In every direction there was only that holy form (maṅgala-vigraha). The blazing divine tejas (radiance) overwhelmed Satī, and she fell senseless. When she came to herself, everything was as before. Now the greatness (mahimā) of Rāma, the king of Sāketa, was fully clear to her.

Satī’s untruth

She returned to Śiva under the banyan tree. He asked her: “What happened, Satī? Tell me truly how you tested Rāma.” Satī was afraid to say what she had done, that she had stood before Bhagavān Rāma in the form of his own wife. She answered untruthfully: “My lord, everything you said proved true. I too bowed to the husband of Sītā and came back.” She could not bring herself to say that she had taken the form of Sītā.

Śiva’s vow

Śiva is sarvajña. With his eye of knowledge (jñāna-dṛshṭi) he saw everything that had happened. He fell into deep thought: “Fate cannot be overcome. Overcome by māyā, Haimavatī is lying to me. Who can stand against what Bhagavān Rāma wills? By going before Śrī Rāma as Sītā, Satī has made a grave mistake. Satī took the form of Jānakī, the mother of the world. To see Satī as my wife after this would be a touch of pāpa (sin). Yet Satī herself is pure. She acted without understanding, and it would not be dharma to leave her for a fault she did not know she was committing. So I will keep the outward bond with her as long as she lives in this body, but from this moment I give up all the closeness of husband and wife.”

Śiva made this resolve silently, within himself. It is called the pratigñā (vow) of Phālāksha.

At once a voice from the sky (ākāśavāṇī) rang out, heard by both of them: “O Phālāksha! Your unshakable devotion is praiseworthy. Your vow has no equal.” Satī heard these words and was seized by fear and grief. She begged Śiva to tell her what vow he had made, but he stayed silent. In her anguish Satī thought over what she had done and understood. She had gone against her husband, had not believed his words, and had done the grave act of taking Jānakī’s form before Bhagavān Rāma. Now her husband’s heart had turned away from her.

Satī’s long tapas and Śiva’s return

The two went back to Kailāsa. Śiva remembered his vow and sat in unbroken nirvikalpa-samādhi (deep meditation with no thought) under the banyan tree on Kailāsa. For Satī every day on Kailāsa passed like an age. Cut off from her husband’s love, she spent eighty-seven thousand years in anguish and tapas (austerity). At last she prayed to Rāma himself to free her from her pain.

At the end of that long time, Śiva rose from his samādhi. Moved by compassion, he gently drew the grieving Satī near and comforted her with stories of Bhagavān Rāma. They passed the time on Kailāsa together, though the separation within remained. Satī kept this body until the Daksha Yajña, when she gave it up in the fire.

Sources

• Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Satī-Śaṅkara Saṃvāda
• Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Phālāksha’s Vow (also called Phālāksha’s Pratigñā)