Parvathi as Sati

Sati or Dhakshayani

Sati or Dhakshayani is a Hindu Goddess, she blesses on marital happiness and longeivty. Sati is worshipped mostly by Hindu women for the long life of their husbands. Dhakshayani is the first wife of Shiva and the second wife being Parvathi, as her reincarnation.In Hindu Mythology, Sati plays the role of attracting and giving pleasure to her husband Shiva and keeping him away from religious ceremonies, so that he can involve in creative participation in the world.

Other names for Dhakshayani include Uma, Aparna, Sivakamini and over thousands of names can be found in Lalitha Sahasranamam.

The act of Sati, in which a Hindu widow offers herself as a sacrifice on her husband's funeral as a final respect to her husband, has came after the name of this Goddess Sati.

legends of Hindu Mythology say that the Goddess Sati a personification of the divine Prakrti, took human birth at the bidding of Lord Brahma. She was born as a daughter of Dhaksha Prajapathi, a son of Brahma and Prasuti. She wa named Gowri (meaning:the turmeric-hued one) since she was of the fair, golden complexion of auspicious turmeric. As the daughter of Dhaksha, she ia also called as Dhakshayani.

Marriage

Lord Brahma's design was that Sati has to please Shiva with her humble devotions and wed him. It was quiet natural that Sati adored the tales and legends associated with Shiva from the childhood and grew up as an ardent devotee. As Sati grew to womanhood, the idea of marring anyone else, as proposed by her father, became unforgiveable curses to her. every proposal from brave and rich kings made her to beg even more to Shiva, the God of Gods, who bestowed all on this world and hiimself foreswore all.

To win the heart of divine Shiva, Sati gaveup the luxuries of her father's palace and went to a forest, there to devote herself to be simple and the worship of Shiva. she slowly gave up eating food, at one stage she took one bilva leaf for a day, then she gave up even that nourishment, at this time she got the nickname of Aparna. Seeing her resolution Shiva finally aggreed to her wishes and consented to make her his Bride.

With overwhelming joy Sati returned to her father's home to await her Bridegroom, but found her father less than elated by the turn of events. The wedding was however held in due course, and Gowri made her home with Shiva in Kailash. Dhaksha depicted in legend as an arrogant king, did not gave respect to his son-in-law and basically cut his daughter away from her natal family.

Dhaksha's Arrogance

Dhasha once organaized a grand Yaga to which all the Gods were invited, with the exception of Sati and Shiva. Sati is wanting to visit her parents, relatives and childhood friends, Gowri sought to rationalize their omission. She reasoned with herself tha her parents had negleted to make a formal invitaion to them only because, as family, such formality was unnecessary, certainly, she needed no invitation to visit her own mother would go away. Shiva tried to stop her, but she resolved upon going, he then provided her with an escort of his ganas and bid her provoke no incident.

Self-Immolation

she didn't get any respect from her father. Soon they were in a heated argument about the virtues of Shiva. Everything clearly showed Gowri that her father was entirely incapable of appreciating the excellent qualities of her husband. Then Gowri realized that this abuse was being happened on Shiva only because he had wed her.She was the reason of this dishonour to her husband. She was in violent anger and loathing for his mentality.

She called up a prayer that she may, in some future birth, be born the daughter of a father whom she could respect her husband and she invoked her yogic powers and immolated herself.

Rage of Shiva

Shiva sensed this sudden disaster and his rage was awesome. he created Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, the two ferocious creatures who wreaked havoc and mayhem on the scene of the horrific incident. Everything present were indiscriminately felled overnight. Dhaksha himself was decaptivated.

According to some tradions, it is believed that angry Shiva performed the fearsome and awe-inspiring Tangava dance with Sati's charred body on his shoulders. During this dance, Sati's body came apart and the pieces fell at different places on earth. According to another version, Shiva placed Sati's body on his shoulder and ran about the world with grief. The Gods called Lord Vishnu to return Shiva to sanity. Vishnu used his Sudarshana Chakram to cut Sati's lifeless body, then Shiva regained his temper. Both versions state that Sati's body was thus dismembered into 51 pieces which fell on earth at various places. These 51 places are called Shakti Peethas, and are places of pilgrimage, however is not accepted by mainstream traditions of south India and elsewhere.

After that night of horror, Shiva, the all-forgiving, restored all those slain to life and granted them his blessings. Even Dhaksha was restored both his life and his kingship. His decapitated head was substituted for that of a goat. Having learnt his lesson, Dhaksha spent his remaining life as adevotee of Shiva.

Aftermath

Dhakshayani was reborn as Parvathi, daughter of Himavan, the king of the mountains, and his wife, the apsara Meena. This time, she was born the daughter of a father whom she could respect, a father who appreciated Shiva ardently. Parvathi sought and received Shiva as her husband.

This legend appears in detail in Tantra literature, in the Puranas and in Kalidasa's lyrical Kumarasambavam, an epic that details primarily with the birth of Subrahmanya.

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