Aum Shashishekaraya Namaha!

6

Sati and Shiva

Be attached to Him, who is without attachment.

Hold on to that attachment.

Only then will you be able to leave other attachments.

SAINT THIRVALLUVAR

Sati was the perfect mate for Shiva. She had no interest in anything other than following him and pleasing him, but this did not mean that she had no mind of her own. On the contrary, though she was Sati, she was also Durga and Kaali, and when she made up her mind nothing could deter her, as we shall see. But for the moment she cared not for the loss of the luxuries of palace life, where she was waited upon, hand and foot. All she wanted was to roam about wildly in the wake of her strange husband, across the desolate Himalayan ranges and peaks inhabited by wild animals, followed by his horde of goblins, the ganas. At first he hardly glanced at her, but she cared not for his apparent lack of interest and continued to follow him.

One day he suddenly asked her, “Why do you follow me?” She answered, “Because I’m your wife.”

“Why did you marry me?” he queried.

“Because I’m incomplete without you,” she replied.

“I have nothing to offer you.”

“But I ask for nothing but you,” she countered.

“I have no parentage or lineage or possessions. These strange creatures alone are my kith and kin.”

“I want nothing but you. Those whom you consider your own are also my own,” was her reply.

Her tenacity and love at last won him over completely, and he ordered his ganas to leave them in peace, that he would call them when he needed them. Then the Lord took Sati into his arms and sported with her as any man with a newlywed wife. He never left her side even for a moment, and even if he did, he would return suddenly and close her eyes from behind, so that she would tremble and cling to him for support. He would suddenly become invisible and then catch her and make her shriek with fright, and then appear before her so that she would again rush into his arms in apparent terror. Sometimes he gathered flowers for her hair and adorned her with garlands. Sometimes when she looked into a deep pool in order to admire her own face, he would come behind her and gaze into the water. She was the dark monsoon cloud from behind which the full moon was peeping, for Sati was the color of ebony and Shiva, fair as the moon. Then he would gather lotuses from the lake and decorate her dark body with flowers. Very often he would help to dress her after her bath and anoint her with sandalwood perfume and apply musk on her breast.

When winter set in, Shiva thought of Kama, and Kama arrived accompanied by Vasanta. With the arrival of spring, trees and creepers bloomed and blossomed in the Himalayan glades in accord with the inclination of the Lord. Lakes were covered with blooming lotuses and the gentle malaya breeze drenched the air with perfume. Spices such as cloves and cardamom added to the fragrance, making the bees dizzy with delight. The nights were bright with the moon, in a sky devoid of clouds. In this enticing atmosphere, Lord Shiva consorted with Sati for many years. Just as ropes bind an elephant, he seemed to be bound by the loveliness of her face and her charming, provocative ways. On the ridges and in the caverns of the Himalayan ranges, Lord Shiva sported with Sati for twenty-five years, according to the calculation of the gods. But despite all this play of love, never once did he lose his seed.

Once, with the advent of the monsoon season, Sati complained to Shiva, “O dearest husband, this is a most unpleasant season for wanderers like us who are without a fixed abode. These fearful rumblings and streaks of lightning frighten me. Neither the sun nor the moon is visible. The huge devataru trees are falling down with crashing sounds. The day appears as night. See my body, lacerated by cruel hailstones that fall mercilessly on me. Only the peacocks are delighted with the sound of thunder and dance with delight. In this season even crows and chakora birds make nests. We alone are homeless. O my dearest Lord, please make a residence for us without delay.”

Hearing these words of Sati, Shiva said, “O my beloved one! Let it be as you wish. Choose the place in which you would like to stay and a fitting abode shall be made for you. Do you wish to reside in Mount Meru where the gods reside? Perhaps your preference is for Kasi. Name it and it shall be yours without further delay. Your beauty will rival the beauty of the heavenly damsels and make them blush with shame. Or do you wish to abide in the realm of Himavan, the king of the Himalayas, with the mountain women and the daughters of the nagas (serpents) to attend to you? Even the beasts of prey are peaceful there, for it is the abode of many sages and saints. Perhaps you wish to dwell on my own mountain of Kailasa, close to the abode of Kubera, the god of wealth? Make your choice. It is all yours.”

Sati chose to go to the country of Himavan, so the Lord took her there and made a beautiful residence for her and stayed with her for many divine years. He was never bored of her company, and she was always enchanted with his. Lord Shiva, who had once delighted only in the atman, now delighted only in Sati. Day and night they gazed with delight into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the world, wrapped in their own love.

At last one day Sati freed herself from his embrace and started questioning him on many subjects that only he could answer. This she did for the sake of the world, for she herself was the Divine Mother and knew all the answers.

Sati asked, “O great Yogi! I wish to know that principle from which all creatures can find release from their misery. What is it that will enable people to free themselves from worldly bondage and attain the supreme region?”

“O goddess Sati, listen carefully for I shall give you that knowledge that shall free all souls in bondage. O goddess, know that the supreme knowledge consists in experiencing the great truth, ‘I am Brahman’ (aham brahmasmi). In a perfect intellect, nothing else is remembered. This sort of consciousness is very rare in the world. But, O beloved, remember that I myself am the Supreme Brahman, as is Vishnu. Devotion to him or to me is the easiest method of attaining salvation. Supreme devotion is the same as supreme knowledge and is easier to practice. One who is engrossed in devotion enjoys perpetual bliss. Devotion has the power to attract me as nothing else can. I go even to the home of the outcastes if they are devotees. The nine qualities of devotion are listening to the glories of God, praising him, remembering him at all times, serving him, surrendering the ego to him, worshipping him in various ways, prostrating to him, dedication to him, and friendliness and kindness to all his creatures. The devotee always believes that whatever I bestow on him is for his good. He dedicates everything to me and keeps nothing for himself. One who attains these nine qualities attains everything—perfect knowledge and worldly success, and eventual salvation. In this Iron Age of Kali, there is no path so easy and pleasing to me as the path of devotion. In this decadent age, jnana, or spiritual knowledge, and vairagya, or detachment, have become misused and neglected. People who can grasp them are rare. But O beloved! Devotion can give all the benefits of the other two and is most pleasing to me. Remember that both Vishnu and I are subservient to those who are devoted to us.”

Sati was very happy to hear this discourse on devotion. She continued to question him on many matters relating to the sastras (rules), to ethics, morality, and religion, the conduct of different people at different times, and knowledge of yantras (mystical diagrams) and mantras (sacred sounds).

These wonderful dialogues between Shiva and Sati on all these various topics are the basis of much of the great knowledge that is found in Hindu philosophy. All the sacred lore relating to such sciences as astrology, medicine, herbal lore, palmistry, and so on was given to her. Shiva explained many things with the help of yantras and mantras. Thus Sati and Shiva, who are intrinsically nothing but the Supreme Brahman, who are omniscient and are always determined to give help to human beings, carried on their discourses in the Himalayan regions in order to help the afflicted and enable human beings to rise out of the ocean of samsara, or the wheel of human existence.

Once Shiva, accompanied by Sati and seated on his bull, wandered over the earth. This was the time of the Sri Rama avatara (incarnation), when Lord Vishnu had taken on the form of the prince of Kosala in order to rid the world of the demon Ravana. Rama had been exiled to the forest by his stepmother. While they were residing there his beloved wife, Sita, was abducted by Ravana. Rama was bereft and wandered, lamenting the loss of his wife. It was at this time that Shiva and Sati came to the forest known as Dandaka and saw Rama totally bereft, bemoaning the loss of his wife as would any lovelorn husband.

Seeing Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, Sati asked Shiva, “O Lord, who are these two persons who seem to be greatly distressed over some loss? How is it that you are so delighted to see them and have even gone down and bowed to the blue-complexioned one?”

Shiva smiled and explained, “O goddess! These two are brothers called Rama and Lakshmana. They are the sons of Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya, and belong to the solar dynasty. The elder one, Rama, is the avatara of Vishnu. He is incapable of being harassed. The Lord has incarnated on earth for the welfare and protection of the good. In his human form he merely plays the role of the grief-stricken husband. Actually he is ever immersed in the bliss of the self.” Seeing Rama’s extreme sorrow, Sati could not quite believe Shiva’s explanation. Seeing her doubt, Shiva told her to go and test Rama. Sati was all too ready to put him to the test and decided to take on the form of Sita and go before Rama. “If he is indeed Vishnu,” she thought, “he will be able to penetrate my disguise.”

Rama immediately saw through her disguise and bowed to her, saying, “O goddess Sati, obeisance to you. Why have you thrown off your own form and taken on this guise? Where is your Lord, Shiva? Have you come alone?”

Sati was delighted to hear Rama’s words and became convinced of his divinity. She told him the whole story of how she had doubted Shiva’s word and had wanted to test Rama. But she still had a doubt. She had always thought that Shiva and Vishnu were on par with each other, so why did her husband worship Rama? This was her next question.

Rama answered, “Once Shiva made the divine architect Visvakarma erect a fantastic hall in which was placed a throne of great beauty. He invited all the gods, sages, and celestial beings to congregate there. Then he invited Vishnu from Vaikunta and made him sit on that exquisite throne, and at a most auspicious hour, to the accompaniment of Vedic chants, he placed the golden crown on Vishnu’s head and announced to all that from then on, Vishnu was worthy of worship equal to that given to him.

“At that time, Shiva said, ‘You are Lord of the universe. You are the one who is supremely worthy of worship by all. You will be invincible in battle even against me. I shall personally give salvation to your devotees.’ Thus did Lord Shiva speak and from that time onward he worships me and I worship him.”

Sati was satisfied when she heard this, but she was feeling troubled at having doubted her husband’s words. When she returned to Shiva she was pensive and sad. Seeing her in this mood, Shiva inquired after the cause of her distress. She voiced her doubt to Shiva, and he immediately thought of the promise he had once made to Vishnu, that if Sati ever doubted him or his teachings, he would abandon her. Although he did not say a word of this to her, she guessed that some disturbing thought had arisen in his mind, and while he continued to behave with the greatest of love to her, both of them realized that soon some incident would occur that would enable him to keep his word.

When all beings are realized as one’s atman [self], that seer of oneness has no delusion of sorrow.

“YOGA VASISHTA” BY SAGE VASISHTA

Aum Namashivaya!