rule


 

Canto 4

Govinda jaya jaya

 

 

Chapter 4: Satî Quits her Body

(1) S'rî Maitreya said: 'After saying this much about the [possible] end of his wife's physical existence, Lord S'iva fell silent. Since she from S'iva understood that she had the choice between being anxious to see her relatives and being afraid to meet her relatives, she was in doubt whether she should go or not. (2) Denied in her desire to see her relatives she felt very sorry and shed tears in her affliction. Trembling she angrily looked at her Bhava, the unequaled one, as if she wanted to burn him. (3) Breathing heavily she walked away from him, the saintly one so dear to her to whom she out of love had given half of her body. Being upset because of the grief and anger in her heart she, with her intelligence clouded by her female nature, left for the house of her father. (4) Rapidly leaving on her own accord, Satî was quickly followed by the thousands of associates and Yakshas of the three eyed one [Lord S'iva] who were headed by Manimân and Mada. Not afraid [to leave S'iva behind] they had put the bull Nandî in front. (5) Having placed her on the decorated bull they took along her pet bird, ball, mirror, lotus flower, white umbrella, mosquito net, garlands and other stuff, being accompanied by the music of drums, conch shells and flutes. (6) She [thus] entered the sacrificial arena where, with the help of sacrificial animals, pots, clay, wood, iron, gold, grass and skins to sit upon and in the presence of  the great sages and authorities, the sacrifice was performed all around graced by the sounds of Vedic hymns. (7) But when she arrived there she was, out of fear for the performer of the sacrifice [Daksha], not respected by anyone with a welcome, except of course for her own sisters and mother who embraced her with reverence, gladdened faces and throats choked by tears of affection. (8) But Satî, not being welcomed by her father, did not respond to the reverence shown with the greetings of her sisters, mother and aunts who with due respect properly informed her and offered her gifts and a seat. (9) Realizing that her father with no oblations for S'iva, out of contempt for the godhead, had not invited the mighty one for the assembly of the sacrifice, Satî got very angry with a furious look as if she wanted to burn the fourteen worlds with her eyes. (10) The goddess [next] for everyone present to hear began to condemn with words filled with anger the opponents of S'iva who were so proud of their troublesome sacrifices, meanwhile ordering his Bhûtas to hold back, who stood prepared to attack. (11) The goddess said: 'No one in this world is his [S'iva's] rival, his enemy or [particularly] dear to him. Who else but you [oh father] would be envious of him, he, the most beloved being in the universe, who is free from all enmity? (12) Unlike you, oh twice-born one, he does not find fault in the qualities of those who seek the truth. He rather promotes any little good he finds in others. And now you are finding fault with him, the greatest of all persons! (13) It is not very surprising, this constant deriding of glorious persons by those who take the transient body for the true self. It is an ugly evil to be envious with great personalities, examples by the dust of whose feet one - to one's fortune - sees one's fire tempered. (14) Persons who only once from their heart pronounce the two syllables of his name, see their sinful activities immediately defeated. That S'iva, whose order is never neglected and who is of an impeccable renown, you now strangely envy. (15) Engaged at his lotus feet the higher personalities exercise their bee-like minds aspiring the nectar of transcendental bliss, while he for the common man is the one sought for fulfilling all desires. That you, of all people, now have to be against him, the friend of all living entities in all the three worlds! (16) Do you really think that others than you, like Brahmâ and his brahmins, are not familiar with the inauspicious call of him who is associated with the demons and who, with his scattered, matted hair, is garlanded with skulls and is smeared with the ashes of the crematorium? Yet they take on their heads the flowers that fell from the feet of him who is called S'iva or auspicious! (17) When one is confronted with people who irresponsibly blaspheme the controller of the religion, one should block one's ears and walk away, if nothing else can be done. But if one can do something, one should by force cut out the tongue of the vilifying blasphemer and next give up one's life. That is the way to deal with such matters! (18) Therefore I shall no longer bear this body I received from you who blasphemed S'iva ['with the dark neck']. To purify oneself from mistakenly having eaten poisonous food it is best to vomit, so one says. (19) Elevated transcendentalists who enjoy their lives do not always follow the rules and regulations of the Vedas, the ways of the gods differ from those of man. Therefore a man  should not criticize another man [like S'iva] by the standard of his own unique sense of duty [see also B.G. 18: 47]. (20) In truth the Vedas distinguish between activities performed in attachment and activities performed in detachment [pravritti and nivritti dharma]. On the basis of these two characteristics of dharma one therefore has two choices. To be of both at the same time is contradictory and thus it can happen that none of these activities satisfies a transcendentalist. (21) Oh father, the ways we follow are not your ways, they are not recommended by those who, satisfied by the food of the sacrifice, follow the ritual path and thus get their fill. They constitute the path of the fully renounced souls who follow the non-manifest form of sacrificing. (22) With your offenses against S'iva and denial of this body that was produced from your body, I say: enough is enough! I am ashamed to have taken this contemptible birth. What a shame it is to be related by birth to a bad person, to someone who is an offender of great personalities. (23) Because of the family tie I have with you it makes me very sad when my great Lord S'iva calls me 'daughter of Daksha'. All my joy and smiles vanish immediately when he does so. Therefore I will give up this bag of bones that was produced from your body.'

(24) Maitreya said: 'Oh annihilator of the enemy, speaking thus to Daksha in the arena of sacrifice, she sat down in silence on the ground with her face to the north. After touching water she, dressed in saffron garments, then closed her eyes to find absorption in the process of yoga. (25) Balancing the inward and outward going breath she, the blameless one, in the control of her yogic posture with intelligence directed her life air upward. She raised it gradually up from the navel cakra to the heart, from the heart to the windpipe and from the throat to the place between her eyebrows. (26) In her desire to give it up because of her anger towards Daksha, she who time and again full of respect sat on the lap of the most worshipful one of all saints, thus by the exercise of her own will focussed on the air and fire within her body. (27) When she meditating right there within her mind saw nothing but the nectarean lotus feet of her husband, the supreme spiritual teacher of the universe, and was freed from all impurities, soon the body of Satî was ablaze because of the fire that originated from her absorption.

(28) From the side of those who witnessed it a loudly, in the sky and on the earth reverberating, wondrous tumult originated: 'Ohhh..., alas Satî, the beloved goddess of the most respectable demigod, has given up her life in anger about Daksha. (29) Oh, just see the great soullessness of him, the Prajâpati from whom all the generations sprang. Because of his disrespect she voluntarily gave up her body, she, his own daughter Satî worthy of our repeated respect. (30) He so hard-hearted and unworthy of the brahminical status, will gain extensive ill fame in the world because he in his offenses, as an enemy of Lord S'iva, could not prevent his own daughter from preparing herself for death!' (31) While the people thus were talking among themselves after having witnessed the wondrous death of Satî, the attendants of S'iva stood up with their weapons lifted in order to kill Daksha. (32) But as soon as he saw them approaching Bhrigu quickly offered oblations in the southern fire and recited hymns from the Yajur Veda to ward off the destroyers of a sacrifice. (33) From the oblations being offered by Bhrigu, the demigods  named the Ribhus, who by dint of the moon [Soma] and by penance had achieved great strength, manifested by the thousands. (34) All the ghosts and Guhyakas [guardians of S'iva] were attacked by them with pieces of firewood from the fire. Thus [being haunted] by the glow of sheer brahminical power, they fled in all directions.'

   

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Third revised edition, loaded July 4, 2017. 

 

 

Previous Aadhar edition and Vedabase links:

Text 1

S'rî Maitreya said: 'After saying this much about the [possible] end of his wife's physical existence, Lord S'iva fell silent. Since she from S'iva understood that she had the choice between being anxious to see her relatives and being afraid to meet her relatives, she was in doubt whether she should go or not.
S'rî Maitreya said: 'After saying this about the end of the body of his wife fell Lord S'iva silent. Since she of S'iva saw it the both ways of being anxious as well as being afraid of seeing her relatives, was she, being divided, unsure where to stand.  (Vedabase)

 

Text 2

Denied in her desire to see her relatives she felt very sorry and shed tears in her affliction. Trembling she angrily looked at her Bhava, the unequaled one, as if she wanted to burn him.

Denied in her desire to see her relatives she felt very sorry and shed she tears in her affliction; shaking she looked at her Bhava, the unequaled one, with anger as if she would blast him. (Vedabase)

 

Text 3

Breathing heavily she walked away from him, the saintly one so dear to her to whom she out of love had given half of her body. Being upset because of the grief and anger in her heart she, with her intelligence clouded by her female nature, left for the house of her father.

Then breathing heavily she left him, the saintly one dear to her whom she had given half of her body; from her grief and her anger being emotional she, with her heart set to her father, went to the family home in love for his embodiment, in her intelligence deluded by her womanly nature. (Vedabase)

 

Text 4

Rapidly leaving on her own accord, Satî was quickly followed by the thousands of associates and Yakshas of the three eyed one [Lord S'iva] who were headed by Manimân and Mada. Not afraid [to leave S'iva alone] they had put the bull Nandî in front.

Rapidly leaving alone was Satî, who had no fear, quickly followed by Manimân and Mada with the bull Nandî in the company of the thousands of associates and Yakshas of the three eyed one [Lord S'iva]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 5

Having placed her on the decorated bull they took along her pet bird, ball, mirror, lotus flower, white umbrella, mosquito net, garlands and other stuff, being accompanied by the music of drums, conch shells and flutes.

Placed on the decorated bull, were her pet bird, ball, mirror, lotus flower, white umbrella, mosquito net, garlands and other stuff taken along with her under the guidance of the music of drums, conch shells and flutes. (Vedabase)

 

Text 6

She [thus] entered the sacrificial arena where, with the help of sacrificial animals, pots, clay, wood, iron, gold, grass and skins to sit upon and in the presence of  the great sages and authorities, the sacrifice was performed all around graced by the sounds of Vedic hymns.

She then arrived where the sacrifice, brightened by the sounds of vedic hymns, was held that was attended by all the great sages and great minds that had come from everywhere for the offering with all its sacrificial animals, pots, clay, wood, iron, gold and the grass and skins to sit on. (Vedabase)

 

Text 7

But when she arrived there she was, out of fear for the performer of the sacrifice [Daksha], not respected by anyone with a welcome, except of course for her own sisters and mother who embraced her with reverence, gladdened faces and throats choked by tears of affection

As she arrived there was she not respected with a welcome out of fear for the performer of the sacrifice [Daksha], except by indeed her own sisters and mother, who embraced her with reverence, gladdened faces and throats choked with tears of affection. (Vedabase)

 

Text 8

But Satî, not being welcomed by her father, did not respond to the reverence shown with the greetings of her sisters, mother and aunts who with due respect properly informed her and offered her gifts and a seat.

But Satî, not being welcomed by her father, couldn't accept to be honored by the greetings of her sisters, mother and aunts who with due respect properly informed her and offered her gifts and a seat. (Vedabase)

 

Text 9

Realizing that her father with no oblations for S'iva, out of contempt for the godhead, had not invited the mighty one for the assembly of the sacrifice, Satî got very angry with a furious look as if she wanted to burn the fourteen worlds with her eyes.

Seeing that her father was not having any oblations for S'iva and that the place of sacrifice was in contempt with the godhead, not receiving the Lord in the assembly of sacrifice, became Satî very angry, looking incensed as if she was going to burn the fourteen worlds with her eyes. (Vedabase)

 

Text 10

The goddess [next] for everyone present to hear began to condemn with words filled with anger the opponents of S'iva who were so proud of their troublesome sacrifices, meanwhile ordering his Bhûtas to hold back who stood prepared to attack.

The goddess began, in the presence of all being heard, to condemn with words fused with anger, S'iva's opponents so proud with their troublesome sacrifices, meanwhile ordering his Bhûtas, who were ready to attack, to hold back.  (Vedabase)

 

Text 11

The goddess said: 'No one in this world is his [S'iva's] rival, his enemy or [particularly] dear to him. Who else but you [oh father] would be envious of him, he, the most beloved being in the universe, who is free from all enmity?

The blessed one said: 'Having none in this world as his rival, there is no one embodied who is dear to him or his enemy; towards S'iva, the most beloved universal being, who is free from enmity there is, except for you, no one who would be envious. (Vedabase)

 

Text 12

Unlike you, oh twice-born one, he does not find fault in the qualities of those who seek the truth. He rather promotes any little good he finds in others. And now you are finding fault with him, the greatest of all persons!

Unlike you, o twice born one, he doesn't find fault in the qualities of the seekers of truth, with others he greatly magnifies any little good he finds; and with him, the greatest of all persons, it is you who finds fault. (Vedabase)

 

Text 13

It is not very surprising, this constant deriding of glorious persons by those who take the transient body for the true self. It is an ugly evil to be envious with great personalities, examples by the dust of whose feet one - to one's fortune - sees one's fire tempered.

This deriding of the glorious by the ones who hold the transient body for the true self is an ugly evil, that is an envy with great personalities which serves fine indeed in bringing, by the dust of those holy feet, themselves down. (Vedabase)

 

Text 14

Persons who only once from their heart pronounce the two syllables of his name, see their sinful activities immediately defeated. That S'iva, whose order is never neglected and who is of an impeccable renown, you now strangely envy.

Persons only once pronouncing from the heart the two syllables of his name, see their sinful activities immediately defeated; that S'iva, whose order is never neglected and who is of an impeccable renown, you so strangely envy.  (Vedabase)

 

Text 15

Engaged at his lotus feet the higher personalities exercise their bee-like minds aspiring the nectar of transcendental bliss, while he for the common man is the one sought for fulfilling all desires. That you, of all people, now have to be against him, the friend of all living entities in all the three worlds!

Engaged at his lotus feet do the higher personalities aspiring transcendental bliss exercise their minds and of the common man he is the nectar sought fulfilling all desires; towards him, the friend of all living entities of all the three worlds, is it, of all people, you that is so. (Vedabase)

 

Text 16

Do you really think that others than you, like Brahmâ and his brahmins, are not familiar with the inauspicious call of him who is associated with the demons and who, with his scattered, matted hair, is garlanded with skulls and is smeared with the ashes of the crematorium? Yet they take on their heads the flowers that fell from the feet of him who is called S'iva or auspicious!

Do you really think that others than you, like Brahmâ and his brahmins, do not know that this one, as being inauspicious associated with the demons, who with his scattered, matted hair of the crematorium is garlanded with skulls and is smeared with ashes, by them is called auspicious or S'iva, taking on their heads the flowers that fell from his feet? (Vedabase)
 
Text 17

When one is confronted with people who irresponsibly blaspheme the controller of the religion, one should block one's ears and walk away, if nothing else can be done. But if one can do something, one should by force cut out the tongue of the vilifying blasphemer and next give up one's life. That is the way to deal with such matters!

One should block one's ears and go away if nothing else can be done being confronted with people irresponsibly blaspheming the controller of the religion; and if one is able, one should by force cut out the tongue of the vilifying blasphemer after which one should give up one's own life. That's the way to deal with that! (Vedabase)

 

Text 18

Therefore I shall no longer bear this body I received from you who blasphemed S'iva ['with the dark neck']. To purify oneself from mistakenly having eaten poisonous food it is best to vomit, so one says.

Therefore I shall no longer bear this body I received from you who are of blasphemy; to purify oneself from mistakenly having eaten poisonous food it is best to vomit.  (Vedabase)

 

Text 19

Elevated transcendentalists who enjoy their lives do not always follow the rules and regulations of the Vedas, the ways of the gods differ from those of man. Therefore a man  should not criticize another man [like S'iva] by the standard of his own unique sense of duty [see also B.G. 18: 47].

The ways of man and the gods part when the mind, as it indeed of the great wise enjoys its own self, is not able to follow the dictates of the Veda; and standing alone in one's own duty one should then not criticize one another. (Vedabase)


Text 20

In truth the Vedas distinguish between activities performed in attachment and activities performed in detachment [pravritti and nivritti dharma]. On the basis of these two characteristics of dharma one therefore has two choices. To be of both at the same time is contradictory and thus it can happen that none of these activities satisfies a transcendentalist.

Verily are in the Vedas in truth activities in attachment and activities in detachment [pravritti and nivritti dharma] distinguished, so that of both the characteristics there are two choices; to do both at the same time is a contradiction and so is it that none of these activities are to the satisfaction of the one of transcendence [S'iva].  (Vedabase)
 

Text 21

Oh father, the ways we follow are not your ways, they are not recommended by those who, satisfied by the food of the sacrifice, follow the ritual path and thus get their fill. They constitute the path of the fully renounced souls who follow the non-manifest form of sacrificing.

O father, are not the opulences we have from you, acquired by the path of the sacrifices? In being satisfied by the foods and necessities offered, was the praising, of the one whose cause is the unmanifested, achieved by the selfrealized! (Vedabase)


Text 22

With your offenses against S'iva and denial of this body that was produced from your body, I say: enough is enough! I am ashamed to have taken this contemptible birth. What a shame it is to be related by birth to a bad person, to someone who is an offender of great personalities.

By this body of yours that is not to Lord S'iva in having committed these offenses, must enough be enough with such a contemptible birth; I feel deeply ashamed to be related to such a bad person by that birth; it is so shameful to belong to someone who is an offender of great personalities. (Vedabase)


 

Text 23

Because of the family tie I have with you it makes me very sad when my great Lord S'iva calls me 'daughter of Daksha'. All my joy and smiles vanish immediately when he does so. Therefore I will give up this bag of bones that was produced from your body.'

With this family tie with you I get very sad the moment my great Lord S'iva calls me 'daughter of Daksha', all my joy and smiles vanish immediately then; therefore I shall give up this bag of bones produced from your body.' (Vedabase)

 

Text 24

Maitreya said: 'Oh annihilator of the enemy, speaking thus to Daksha in the arena of sacrifice, she sat down in silence on the ground with her face to the north. After touching water she, dressed in saffron garments, then closed her eyes to find absorption in the process of yoga.

Maitreya said: 'Speaking thus to Daksha in the arena of sacrifice, she sat down in silence on the ground facing the north and after touching water, she, dressed in saffron garments, closed her eyes finding absorption in the process of yoga.  (Vedabase)

 

Text 25

Balancing the inward and outward going breath she, the blameless one, in the control of her yogic posture with intelligence directed her life air upward. She raised it gradually up from the navel cakra to the heart, from the heart to the windpipe and from the throat to the place between her eyebrows.

Balancing the inward and outward going breath in the control of the yogic posture did she, the blameless one, lift her life's air, raising it by intelligence gradually up from the navel to the heart towards the windpipe and throat and from there to between her eyebrows. (Vedabase)

 

Text 26

In her desire to give it up because of her anger towards Daksha, she who time and again full of respect sat on the lap of the most worshipful one of all saints, thus by the exercise of her own will focussed on the air and fire within her body.

Thus concentrated she, who time and again full of respect sat on the lap of the most worshipful of all saints, by the exercise of her own will, on the air and fire within her body in her wish to give it up as a result of her anger towards Daksha. (Vedabase)

 

Text 27

When she meditating right there within her mind saw nothing but the nectarean lotus feet of her husband, the supreme spiritual teacher of the universe, and was freed from all impurities, soon the body of Satî was ablaze because of the fire that originated from her absorption.

There one saw that, by merely thinking of nothing but the nectar of the lotus feet of her husband, the supreme spiritual teacher of the universe, the body of Satî, purified by the action, soon was ablaze of the fire that came from her absorption. (Vedabase)


Text 28

From the side of those who witnessed it a loudly, in the sky and on the earth reverberating, wondrous tumult originated: 'Ohhh..., alas Satî, the beloved goddess of the most respectable demigod, has given up her life in anger about Daksha.

From those who witnessed that there rose, resounding in the sky and earth, a tumultuous great and wondrous roaring ohhh: 'Alas, Satî the beloved goddess of the most respectable demigod, has given up her life in anger about Daksha.  (Vedabase)


Text 29

Oh, just see the great soullessness of him, the Prajâpati from whom all the generations sprang. Because of his disrespect she voluntarily gave up her body, she, his own daughter Satî worthy of our repeated respect.

Oh, just see the great soullessness of him, the Prajâpati of whom all the generations sprang. By his disrespect she voluntarily gave up her body; she, his own daughter Satî, worthy of our respect over and over. (Vedabase)

 

Text 30

He so hard-hearted and unworthy of the brahminical status, will gain extensive ill fame in the world because he in his offenses, as an enemy of Lord S'iva, could not prevent his own daughter from preparing herself for death!'

He so hardhearted and unworthy the brahminical, will gain extensive ill fame in the world, because he in his offenses as an enemy of Lord S'iva didn't keep his own daughter from preparing herself for death!' (Vedabase)

 

Text 31

While the people thus were talking among themselves after having witnessed the wondrous death of Satî, the attendants of S'iva stood up with their weapons lifted in order to kill Daksha.

While the people were thus talking among themselves having witnessed the wondrous death of Satî, stood the attendants of S'iva with uplifted weapons up in order to kill Daksha. (Vedabase)

 

Text 32

But as soon as he saw them approaching Bhrigu quickly offered oblations in the southern fire and recited hymns from the Yajur Veda to ward off the destroyers of a sacrifice.

On the impulse of seeing them approaching, Bhrigu though quickly offered oblations in the southern part of the fire, reciting hymns from the Yajur Veda against the destroyers of a sacrifice. (Vedabase

 

Text 33

From the oblations being offered by Bhrigu, the demigods  named the Ribhus, who by dint of the moon [Soma] and by penance had achieved great strength, manifested by the thousands.

From the oblations being offered by Bhrigu manifested by the thousands the demigods named the Ribhus who by the moon [Soma] and penance had achieved great strength. (Vedabase)

 

Text 34

All the ghosts and Guhyakas [guardians of S'iva] were attacked by them with pieces of firewood from the fire. Thus [being haunted] by the glow of sheer brahminical power, they fled in all directions.'

The ghosts and Guhyakas [guardians] being attacked by them with pieces of firewood from the fire, thus, from the glow of sheer brahminical power, fled in all directions. (Vedabase)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Creative Commons License
The text and audio are offered under the conditions of the

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The painting titled: ' Sati' and is of
Nanda Lal Bose 1943.
Source: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Acc. no. 4797.
Production:
Filognostic Association of The Order of Time

  

 

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