Devi Sati was the first wife of Lord Shiva, who self-immolated when her father, Daksha insulted her husband in a religious ceremony. She is the goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She was reborn as Goddess Parvati. Goddess Sati is an incarnation of Goddess Shakti.
Meaning of the Word Sati:
The word Sati originated from the word “Satya,” which means Truth in Sanskrit. Therefore, the word Sati means “the woman who is truthful” because Sati is a feminine word and is a counterpart of the masculine word Satya.
Origin:
Although the name Sati does not appear in the Vedas, scholars believe that she is associated with Rudrani, the wife of Rudra. She first appears in Ramayana and Mahabharata.
She is mentioned in the following Puranas, which narrate her story: Vayu, Skanda, Bhagavata, Kurma, Padma, Linga, Shiva, and Matsya.
Other Names of Devi Sati:
Her other popular names are Dakshayani and Uma.
Stories About Devi Sati:
Birth:
Prajapati Daksha is the son of Lord Brahma who is the creator of universe per Hinduism. He had two wives named Prasuti and Shatarupa. Lord Brahma advised him to worship Mother Goddess Shakti and request her to incarnate as his daughter. The goddess accepted his request upon one condition that he would never insult her; otherwise, she would abandon her body.
Daksha accepted her condition and Goddess Shakti was born as Goddess Sati in his house. Her mother’s name was Prasuti. Sati was the youngest and favorite daughter of Daksha.
Devi Sati’s Marriage to Lord Shiva:
Since her childhood, Sati liked the stories of Lord Shiva and became his ardent devotee. Daksha on the other hand never liked Lord Shiva and hated him. He considered him unfit for a cultural society because Lord Shiva used to live a life of an ascetic. Some of his habits did not fit the norms of the cultural society per Daksha. Also in an event, Lord Shiva did not offer a salutation to him which escalated his anger toward him.
Daksha was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and had gotten a boon from him that he would protect him under any circumstances. This boon had increased his ego and therefore he did not consider Lord Shiva a god.
Devi Sati was an incarnation of Goddess Shakti, who was born as a daughter of Prajapati Daksha. As Goddess Shakti was part of Lord Shiva, he became sad and started wandering in the universe after separating from her. When Sati attained the age of marriage, she was naturally attracted to Lord Shiva, who was a wanderer and did not practice the customs of the so-called society.
When Devi Sati expressed her desire to marry Lord Shiva, Daksha was very angry and strongly opposed her. But Sati was firm about her decision. Because of the condition he accepted at the time of her birth, he could not mistreat her and was forced to permit the marriage. But this, in turn, fueled his anger toward Lord Shiva.
Devi Sati went into a forest and started doing severe penance to obtain Lord Shiva as her husband. Lord Shiva tested her many times but finally agreed to marry her. Lord Brahma served as a priest in their marriage. After that, Sati moved to Mountain Kailasha with Lord Shiva.
Devi Sati Tests Lord Rama (Shiva Purana):
Once, Lord Shiva accompanied by Sati and seated on his Bull wandered over the Earth, in one of his sportive activities. At that time, Asura king Ravana had abducted Goddess Sita to avenge the insult of his sister. Goddess Sita was the beloved wife of Lord Rama, and he could not tolerate her separation. He started wandering in the jungle along with his brother, Lakshmana, in search of her.
When Lord Shiva saw Lord Rama, he offered his obeisance to him from afar. When Devi Sati saw this, she was taken aback by his action. She did not recognize that Lord Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. She asked, “O Lord! You are the god of gods. Then why are you bowing to his mere human being who could not tolerate the separation of his wife?”
Lord Shiva replied, “O Goddess, they are two brothers, Rama and Lakṣhmaṇa. They are heroic, intelligent sons of Dasharatha, born of the Solar dynasty. The fair-complexioned one is the younger brother Lakṣhmaṇa. He is the partial incarnation of Sheṣa. The elder one is the complete incarnation of Viṣhṇu. He is called Rama. He is incapable of being harassed.
O Goddess, if your mind is not convinced, listen to my words. You can test the divinity of Rama yourself, using your own intelligence.”
Therefore, Devi Sati assumed the form of Goddess Sita and appeared before Lord Rama. But he instantly recognized her and her purpose. He laughed and asked, “O Sati, Obeisance to you. Where has Shiva gone? Please tell me affably. How is it that you have come here alone without your husband?
O goddess Sati, why have you cast off your own form and assumed this guise? Take pity on me and tell me the reason thereof.”
Realizing Rama to be Viṣhṇu, she re-assumed her own original form and returned to Lord Shiva.
Why Did Devi Sati Self-Immolate?
Once, Daksha arranged a big yajna and invited all the gods except Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati. Lord Shiva was aware of it but did not pay heed to it. When Goddess Sati came to know about the ceremony, she was infuriated, especially, because it was a big insult to her husband, whom he loved a lot. So, she reached the venue where the yajna was being performed and had a furious argument with her father. There also Daksha insulted Lord Shiva in front of all the gods and sages. For some unknown reason, no other god or goddess tried to stop him. Devi Sati was powerful enough to kill Daksha, but she could not do it as he was her father.
Thinking that a Pativrata Hindu woman would prefer death to tolerate the insult of her husband, and because of the uncontrolled rage she experienced, Goddess Sati burnt herself to death with her yogic powers. But she cursed her father with total annihilation before she did so.
To avenge her death, Lord Shiva sent Veerbhadra and Bhadrakali to the venue, who destroyed the yajna and killed Daksha.
Ten Mahavidya:
Devi Sati was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, who was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, but he hated Lord Shiva. Because of Sati’s insistence, he agreed to marry her to Lord Shiva, but he continued to hate him. Once, he organized a yajna and invited all gods except Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati. When Goddess Sati came to know about this, she was very upset with his father and left for the venue of the yajna. Lord Shiva knowing the consequences, stopped her from going there.
But Goddess Sati was the mother of the universe and thought that Lord Shiva was looking at her like an ordinary woman and not like the mother of the universe. Therefore, she assumed the form of Mahakali. Because of the fierce form of Kali, mountains started shivering, volcanoes erupted, and many natural calamities began. Seeing this, Lord Shiva started moving in a different direction, but Goddess Sati assumed another form and stood before him.
Soon, the ten manifestations of Goddess Sati blocked ten directions and did not allow Lord Shiva to cross over. Thus, the 10 Mahavidyas were born.
The 51 Shakti Peetha Story:
Devi Sati was dearest to Lord Shiva. Therefore, her death broke him down completely. He forgot his duties toward the universe and immersed himself in sorrows. He started roaming around the universe carrying Goddess Sati’s dead body into his arms. It caused an imbalance of energies in the universe, and annihilation was imminent.
Therefore to save the world and bring Lord Shiva back into the game, Lord Vishnu cut Goddess Sati’s body into 51 (or 52) pieces. The 51 places where the pieces fell came to be known as Shakti Peetha. These places carry high spiritual importance, and a temple was raised at each place. These temples are known as Shakti Peetha. All of these places are in the Indian subcontinent.
Festivals, Vrat, and Fairs:
1. Ambubachi Mela:
It is a four-day long major annual festival of the followers of Shaktism. It is celebrated during monsoon season at Kamakhya Temple in Assam. Ambubachi Mela is the celebration of the yearly menstruation cycle of Goddess Kamakhya. It is also known as Ameti or the tantric fertility festival.
2. Bathukamma:
It is an annual nine-day floral festival celebrated only by Telangana people. Bathukamma means “Mother Goddess Come Alive”. It is celebrated to commemorate the return of Goddess Sati as Goddess Parvati on Bathukamma.
3. Purnagiri Mela:
This annual gathering is held in Shri Purnagiri Temple in Uttarakhand to commemorate Devi Sati. It takes place every year during Chaitra Navratri and lasts for three months.
4. Kokila Vrata:
It is observed by Hindu women on Ashadha Purnima every year. According to a legend, when Goddess Sati argued with her father during the yajna, he cursed her to be a cuckoo. Therefore, she spent the next 1000 years as a cuckoo before being born as Goddess Parvati.
It is believed that women who observe this Vrata remain Akhanda Saubhagyavati (their husbands don’t die before their demise) and have a happily married life.