| Sati | |
|---|---|
Goddess of Power, Marital Felicity and Longevity | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Kalighat_Shiva_mourns_Sati.jpg) Shiva mourns Sati, 19th-century Kalighat painting | |
| Other names | Dakshayani, Dakshakanya |
| Devanagari | सती |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Satī |
| Affiliation | Devi |
| Abode | Mount Kailash |
| Texts | Puranas, Kumarasambhavam, Tantra |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Consort | Shiva |
Sati (/ˈsʌtiː/, Sanskrit: सती, IAST: Satī, lit. 'truthful' or 'virtuous'), also known as Dakshayani (Sanskrit: दाक्षायणी, IAST: Dākṣāyaṇī, lit. 'daughter of Daksha'), is the Hindu goddess of marital felicity and longevity, and is worshipped as an aspect of the mother goddess Shakti. Sati was the first wife of Shiva, the other being Parvati, who was Sati's reincarnation after her death.
The earliest mentions of Sati are found in the time of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, but details of her story appear in the Puranas. Legends describe Sati as the favourite child of Daksha, who marries Shiva against her father's wishes. Later, when Daksha organises a yajna (fire-sacrifice) in which he doesn't invite her and her husband, Sati goes to attend it, only to be humiliated by her father. She then immolates herself to protest against him, and uphold the honour of her husband.[1] In Hinduism, both Sati and Parvati, successively play the role of bringing Shiva away from ascetic isolation into creative participation with the world.[2]
Sati's story plays an important part in shaping the traditions of two of the most prominent sects of Hinduism — Shaivism and Shaktism. It is believed that after Sati's death, Shiva carried her body around the world. As he did so, her body parts fell to the ground at 51 different places. These places are now known as Shakta pithas, and they are sacred to Hindus.
- ^ Kinsley 1998, p. 35.
- ^ Kinsley 1998, p. 38.