Sati

"She must be a yogini when I practice yoga and a loving woman when I engage in love."

Brahma wanted the Great Goddess to take human form in order to distract Shiva from his meditation, because the latter's power of creation is inaccessible as long as he is detached from the world.  Brahma needs to the creative power of the Shiva in order to create the universe.  The goddess consents and is born on Earth as Sati, a daughter of Daksha.  She tells Daksha that should he ever disrespect her she will cast off the body of Sati and move to another form.

Sati grows up worshipping Shiva and her austerities strengthen her desire for him.  Brahma tells Shiva of Sati and pleads with him to take her as a wife.  Shiva consents for the sake of his followers.  Shiva appears to Sati-handsome, radiant, five-faced and three-eyed, four-armed, the crescent moon on his forehead, his throat blue.

Shiva keeps thinking about Sati after he goes back to the Himalayas and he tells Brahma he will marry her. There are many catches to his consenting, however.  For instance, should Sati ever disturb his meditative absorption of transcendental nature he will curse her.


There is a wedding at Daksha's palace.  Everyone is there, even Vishnu.  He tells Shiva, that should any man ever look at Sati with lust he must kill him.  Shiva laughingly agrees.  He then sees Sati's feet and is overcome with lust.  Moments later Brahma is also overcome with lust for Sati and four drops of his semen falls to the ground.  Shiva is furious and tries to kill him, but Vishnu stops him reminding him that Brahma is but a form of Shiva and to kill him would be to kill them both.

After the wedding Shiva and Parvati return to the mountains and "sport" for 25 years, during which time Shiva tells her the secrets of the universe; perhaps divine pillow talk. After her pleasure is satiated Sati is done loving Shiva.  She starts to consistently doubt him and make a fool out of herself.

Sati crashing the sacrifice

Shiva and Sati attend a sacrifice being thrown by Daksha, Sati's father.  Shiva refuses to bow to the man, infuriating him.  Daksha soon thereafter holds another sacrifice and intentionally does not invite Shiva.  Sati goes to her husband and asks him to attend but he will not.  She goes with a massive retinue.  Upon arrival she finds that no sacrifice has been prepared for her husband.  By this act Daksha disrespects her and her husband.  Remembering her vow as the Great Goddess, Sati sits in meditation and self immolates.

Sati's self immolation

Daksha with goathead

Shiva tears out his hair, which grows into a great army, storms the sacrifice, and kills Daksha.  The other gods in attendance plead with Shiva to bring the dead man back to life and Shiva agrees to.  He resurrects Daksha, but give him the head of a goat.

Barbeque tonight on Kailasa

Sati is also name of the practice of wife burning, something which occurred in classic and medieval India, but was outlawed by the British in the 19th century.  The practice has almost disappeared, but a few isolated cases persist.  In traditional Indian society a woman always belongs to a man.  First to her father, then to her husband, and then after he dies, to her sons.  If a widow has no sons she is outcast.  She may attain boons for her an her husband if she sacrifices herself on his funeral pyre.
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