Satī, First Wife of Bhagavān Śiva

Satī is the first wife of Bhagavān Śiva. The Śiva Purāṇa teaches that she is the supreme devī Śivā herself, born in a human body as the daughter of Dakṣa Prajāpati and his wife Prasūti. Satī lived her whole life in complete devotion to Śiva. She did the Nandā vrata (a vow of observance) and won him as her husband. She lived with him at Kailāsa and at Himavat, and she received his teaching on the nine kinds of devotion. At last she gave up her body at the yajña (fire ritual) of Dakṣa, when her husband was dishonoured there.

Her death filled Śiva with deep grief. It led to the destruction of the yajña of Dakṣa by Vīrabhadra. Satī was then born again as Pārvatī, the daughter of Himavat and Menā, and she married Śiva a second time.

Origin: Śivā herself in a human form

Satī is not only a great devotee of Śiva. She is Śivā, the highest Parā-Bhaṭṭārikā, the śakti of the whole world that cannot be separated from Sadāśiva. She came in a human body for the sake of the world.

The Satī Khaṇḍa begins with this point. Brahmā and Bhagavān Viṣṇu prayed to the supreme devī to be born, so that Śiva might have a wife who would draw him toward the upholding of creation. Durgā, the Parā-Devī, agreed, but with one condition (pratijñā): if Dakṣa, the father she chose, ever showed her disrespect, she would at once give up that body. She accepted this condition before her birth. For this reason, her leaving her body at the yajña was not an act of despair. It was the keeping of a divine promise.

This is told in the Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Satī Khaṇḍa, Chapter 1.

Birth and childhood

Dakṣa Prajāpati performed hard tapas (austerity) at Kṣīra Sāgara, the Ocean of Milk, to have the devī as his daughter. She was moved by his devotion. Durgā-Bhavānī appeared before him and granted his prayer. She told him she would be born as his daughter. She was born to Prasūti, the wife of Dakṣa. At birth the child showed divine signs: a shining body, a soft smile, and the bearing of one who is śakti herself.

This is told in Chapters 1–4.

Dakṣa named her Umā in his joy. From her earliest days Satī showed one-pointed devotion to Śiva. She drew pictures of Śiva with a stylus, laid flower garlands on them, meditated on him and chanted his names without rest. Dakṣa saw that she was serious and never smiled, and he asked if she was unhappy. She told him plainly that Śiva alone was her husband and that she would accept no other. She made beautiful stotras (hymns of praise) in his honour and recited them. She gave wealth to brāhmaṇas in the name of Śiva. Her whole childhood was an unbroken act of devotion to Śiva.

This is told in Chapters 4–5.

The Nandā vrata

Nārada came to the palace of Dakṣa. He saw the strong devotion of Satī and taught her the Nandā vrata. It is a year-long observance, in steps, for gaining Śiva as a husband. Each month had its own practice:

Caitra (month 1): pūjā of Śiva with śāmī leaves and lotus flowers, and a prayer that Śiva himself would come.
Vaiśākha (month 2): pūjā with bilva leaves, a fast, and an offering of honey and water.
Jyeṣṭha (month 3): bathing Śiva with pañcāmṛta (milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar) and reciting Śiva-stotras.
Āṣāḍha (month 4): going without salt, and pūjā in the forest with wild flowers.
Śrāvaṇa (month 5): a full-day fast on every Monday, and bathing the Śiva-liṅga with cold water.
Bhādrapada (month 6): pūjā with dūrvā grass, and sleeping on bare ground.
Āśvina (month 7): keeping the caturdaśī fast, with special pūjā at night.
Kārtika (month 8): bathing in a holy river at dawn, and pūjā with tulasī and flowers.
Mārgaśīrṣa (month 9): a special keeping of Śivarātri in this month.
Pauṣa (month 10): offering sesame and rice, and reciting the thousand names of Śiva.
Māgha (month 11): bathing in cold water at dawn, and fasting through the day.
Phālguna (month 12, the last month): a full pūjā with sandal paste, flowers and incense, ending with a great Śivarātri.

Through the whole year Satī kept strict upavāsa (fasting) on the set days. She made pūjā with one-pointed attention and chanted the names of Śiva. The vrata bore fruit at the end of the year, when Śiva himself appeared before her.

This is told in Chapters 6–8.

The conditions of Śiva and the wedding

Śiva appeared before Satī at the end of the Nandā vrata. He accepted her devotion and agreed in principle to marry her. But he set out his conditions to Dakṣa:

He would not take part in a wedding with elaborate social ceremonies, because he is a vairāgī (one who has given up attachment) by nature.
His gaṇas, who look unlike other people, must be welcomed without mockery.
Dakṣa himself must invite Śiva with full respect.

Dakṣa went to Kailāsa with Brahmā and all the devas to ask for the marriage in the proper way. Śiva accepted. The wedding was held on Caitra Śukla Trayodaśī with great festivity. All creation rejoiced. Brahmā himself led the rites. Bhagavān Viṣṇu and all the devas came in their divine forms.

This is told in Chapters 9–15.

The lapse of Brahmā at the wedding

During the wedding, when Satī sat before the sacred fire, Brahmā was overcome by her divine beauty. He had a sudden lapse of self-control toward the bride’s form. Śiva knew this at once, because he knows all things, and he became angry. His anger took the form of four huge rain-clouds of pralaya (the great dissolution). They began to cover the three worlds and threatened to dissolve them. Brahmā was terrified. He bowed at once and confessed. Śiva was moved by the honesty of Brahmā and by the gentle pleading of Satī. He drew back the clouds. The wedding went on to its end without further trouble.

In this event even Brahmā the Creator was overwhelmed for a moment at the sight of Satī. This shows that Satī is the Parā-Śakti, whose radiance is beyond the self-control of all but the highest.

This is told in Chapters 14–15.

Life with Śiva

At Kailāsa

After the wedding Satī went to Kailāsa with Śiva. The Satī Khaṇḍa records that they lived together on Kailāsa for 25 divine years (divya-varṣa) in perfect union. In this time Śiva and Satī spoke deeply about philosophy, devotion and the nature of Brahman. Satī received from Śiva himself the teaching on the highest truths of Śaiva darśana (view).

This is told in Chapter 16.

At Himavat

After Kailāsa, the couple also stayed at Himavat, the Himālaya. They lived there for 10,000 divine years. This is shown as a time of close love and talk on philosophy between Śiva and Satī.

This is told in Chapter 16.

The teaching on the nine kinds of devotion

During their time together, Śiva gave Satī the teaching on nava-vidha-bhakti, the nine kinds of devotion. He described nine steps of devotion to Śiva and the fruit of each. This teaching sets out the whole Śaiva path, from śravaṇa (hearing) to ātma-nivedana (giving oneself completely). It is given in the quiet setting of the talk between husband and wife. It is one of the main teachings of the Satī Khaṇḍa.

This is told in Chapter 17.

The test of Rāma and the inner renunciation

Bhagavān Rāma, the avatāra of Bhagavān Viṣṇu, was wandering in the forests in search of Sītā, after Rāvaṇa had carried her off. Śiva and Satī saw Rāma from a distance. Śiva bowed to Rāma, because he knew him as the avatāra of Viṣṇu. Satī still had a trace of doubt, as one with a human nature. She thought: “How can my husband, who is himself the Parabrahman, bow to a mortal in grief who wanders in the forest?” Śiva saw her doubt and asked her to go and test Rāma herself.

Satī took the form of Sītā and went to Rāma. Rāma knew at once the divine presence of Satī and spoke to her with perfect respect: “O mother, why have you come alone into this forest? Where is Śambhu?” Satī was deeply moved and ashamed that he had known her. She went back to Śiva. When he pressed her, she told only half the truth: she said she had only walked around Rāma and had not tested him.

But Śiva saw with his inner sight what had really happened. Satī had taken the form of Sītā before Rāma. Sītā is the śakti of Viṣṇu, and Śiva regards the śakti of Viṣṇu as a mother. So he could no longer keep the full closeness of a husband toward Satī in his heart. This was not because of any fault in Satī. It was because she had taken the form of one whom he honours as a mother. He made a private vow of inner renunciation (antaḥ-sannyāsa) toward the marriage bond, while still staying with her outwardly. Satī felt this distance and was grieved.

This is told in Chapter 18.

The insult at Prayāga and the yajña of Dakṣa

At a great gathering of ṛṣis and devas at Prayāga, Dakṣa arrived with great pomp. All present stood to honour him, except Śiva, who stayed seated, and Nandī, who stood by his master. Dakṣa felt humbled by this slight, as he saw it. He gave a public speech in the gathering and insulted Śiva. He called him unfit for a share in the yajña, unworthy of respect, a wanderer in the cremation grounds, and a friend of ghosts and of those outside society.

Nandī was fiercely angry. He pronounced a śāpa (a curse) on Dakṣa that he would have an animal’s head (paśu-mukha) at his death. He also pronounced a śāpa on all the ṛṣis who had cheered the words of Dakṣa. They would all be born again in Kali Yuga without access to Vedic knowledge, and would serve false traditions. In return Dakṣa pronounced a śāpa on Nandī and on the gaṇas of Śiva. The gathering broke up in bitter division.

This is told in Chapter 21.

Dakṣa then arranged a great yajña in his capital. He invited all the devas, ṛṣis and prajāpatis, but he left out Śiva and Satī on purpose. Satī saw divine vimānas (flying chariots) overhead, carrying devas toward the yajña. She asked Śiva where all of them were going. He told her it was the yajña of Dakṣa. Satī said she wished to visit her mother and sisters there. Śiva warned her gently but firmly: “Your father does not honour me. To go uninvited to a yajña is improper. Where the host does not honour the guest, a wise person does not go, for the dishonour falls on the guest.”

This is told in Chapters 24–25.

The journey to the yajña

Śiva had warned her, but Satī’s wish to see her mother Prasūti and her sisters could not be held back. She argued that a daughter does not need an invitation to her father’s house. Śiva saw her resolve and gave way. He gave her his gaṇas as an escort, but he said again that dishonour awaited her. Satī went to the yajña with Nandī and the gaṇas.

When she arrived, her mother and sisters embraced her with love. But Dakṣa did not welcome her, did not rise to greet her, and did not meet her eyes. She looked around the yajña ground and saw that Śiva had been given no share in the yajña. His place was plainly missing from the list of devas who receive havis (the offerings). The other devas saw her and lowered their eyes in shame.

This is told in Chapters 26–28.

Satī and Dakṣa face to face

Satī stood in the sabhā (assembly) of the yajña and spoke to Dakṣa and all the devas in a long and formal speech. It is one of the most important passages of the Satī Khaṇḍa. She said:

To Dakṣa: “You are my father only in the bodily sense. You are not my spiritual father, for you have no understanding of who Śiva is. Śiva is Parabrahman. He is the ground of your being. To shut him out of this yajña is not only a wrong against a deva. It is a denial of reality itself.”
On the nature of Śiva: She answered each insult of Dakṣa one by one. Śiva wears bhasma (ash) because he is the fire in which all creation is finally burned. He wears snakes because he rules over kāla (time). He walks in the cremation grounds because he is the witness of death itself. His gaṇas are unlike others because they are beyond custom. His matted hair holds the Gaṅgā because he is the source of all sacred waters. To call him amaṅgala (inauspicious) is to call the cause of all that is auspicious inauspicious.
To the devas gathered there: “You have sat here in silence while my husband is dishonoured. By your silence you have agreed to this adharma. None of you has spoken in his defence.”
On the body she carried: “This body was born from you, O Dakṣa. You have shown that you are not worthy of the bond. A body born from one who dishonours Parameśvara is a body I should not keep.”

Dakṣa answered with contempt. He repeated his insults about the company Śiva keeps, and he called him unfit for a sabhā.

This is told in Chapters 28–29.

Leaving the body

Satī turned from Dakṣa without another word. She sat facing north. By yoga she drew in her prāṇas (vital breaths), pulling the breath upward through the successive cakras. At the same moment she set her body on fire with the inner fire of yoga. Her body was burned from within. Twenty thousand gaṇas of Śiva had come with her. They were overcome with grief and rage at what they saw, and they died at that same moment. The assembly of the yajña was thrown into confusion.

This is told in Chapter 30.

The voice from the sky

Right after Satī left her body, a divine voice (ākāśavāṇī) spoke from the sky. Everyone in the assembly heard it:

“This is Satīdevī, the Parā-Bhaṭṭārikā herself. She who has just given up this body is jagadambā, the mother of all worlds. She is the creating, upholding and dissolving power of the universe. All of you who are here, flee this place. This yajña is accursed. The wrath of Śiva will fall upon it. Those who wish to live should leave at once.”

The voice named Satī openly as the supreme devī and declared the yajña destroyed. The devas fled in terror.

This is told in Chapter 31.

The answer of Śiva and the end of the yajña

The gaṇas of Śiva brought the news of Satī’s death to Kailāsa. Nārada came straight to Śiva and gave a full account. Śiva was struck by the deepest grief. In his anguish he seized his matted locks and tore them apart.

From the front half of the torn jaṭā (matted hair) rose Vīrabhadra. He had a thousand arms, towering height and the radiance of the fire of pralaya. He filled sky and earth at once and roared with the sound of a thousand thunders. From the second half of the jaṭā rose Mahākālī, surrounded by crores of bhūtas (spirits). She was the embodiment of the wrath of Śiva. From the sighs of Śiva the jvaras were born: a hundred kinds of fevers and thirteen forms of sannipāta disease. They spread across all the worlds.

This is told in Chapter 32.

Śiva gave Vīrabhadra one command: destroy the yajña of Dakṣa. Vīrabhadra led crores of gaṇas and Mahākālī, with her nine Durgās, to the yajña ground. He carried out the command of Śiva fully:

Dakṣa was found hiding in a hole in the vedi (altar) and was beheaded.
The yajña-puruṣa ran away in the form of a deer, was caught and was beheaded.
The tip of Sarasvatī’s nose was cut.
The eyes of Bhaga were torn out.
The teeth of Pūṣan were knocked out.
The beard of Bhṛgu was torn out.
Viṣṇu was struck with the triśūla and fell unconscious.
The Śārṅga bow was broken in three pieces.

The destruction was complete.

This is told in Chapters 33–37.

Restoration and the end of the account

The devas, led by Brahmā and Viṣṇu, came to Kailāsa and offered a long stotra to Śiva. He was pleased. He agreed to give back what had been destroyed:

Dakṣa was given the head of the yajña goat (yajña-paśu) in place of his cut-off head. This let him live again and finish his life.
Bhaga received the eye of Mitra.
Pūṣan was allowed to eat only soft, ground food, using the teeth of the host, since his own were gone.
Bhṛgu was given a goat’s beard.
All the devas were healed.

The yajña was completed with the full share (pūrṇa-bhāga) for Śiva. Śiva himself attended. Before he left, he gave Dakṣa a teaching on the four kinds of devotees and on the oneness of the Trimūrti.

This is told in Chapters 41–43.

Rebirth as Pārvatī

The Satī Khaṇḍa ends with this statement. After Satī left her body, Śiva mourned her for a long time on Kailāsa, absorbed in grief and in her memory. The devas prayed once more, and Śivā, the same Parā-Bhaṭṭārikā, was born as Pārvatī, the daughter of Himavat and Menā. She did hard tapas, won Śiva through her austerities, and married him again. So the oneness of Satī and Pārvatī is clearly stated. They are two forms of the one Śivā. The same ātmā (soul) took a new form and came back into the divine union.

This is told in Chapter 43.

Sources

Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Satī Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1–43