Shloka 7
Satī Desires to Attend Dakṣa’s Sacrifice; Śiva Warns Against the Pain of Relatives’ Insults
तदुपश्रुत्य नभसि खेचराणां प्रजल्पताम् । सती दाक्षायणी देवी पितृयज्ञमहोत्सवम् ॥ ५ ॥ व्रजन्ती: सर्वतो दिग्भ्य उपदेववरस्त्रिय: । विमानयाना: सप्रेष्ठा निष्ककण्ठी: सुवासस: ॥ ६ ॥ दृष्ट्वा स्वनिलयाभ्याशे लोलाक्षीर्मृष्टकुण्डला: । पतिं भूतपतिं देवमौत्सुक्यादभ्यभाषत ॥ ७ ॥
tad upaśrutya nabhasi khe-carāṇāṁ prajalpatām satī dākṣāyaṇī devī pitṛ-yajña-mahotsavam
Hearing the talk of the celestial beings moving through the sky, the chaste goddess Satī, daughter of Dakṣa, learned of her father’s great festival sacrifice to the forefathers. Seeing from every direction the lovely wives of the demigods—riding in vimānas with their beloveds, clad in fine garments and adorned with earrings and necklaces with pendants—passing near her dwelling on their way to the sacrifice, Satī, anxious and eager, approached her husband, Śaṅkara, lord of the bhūtas, and spoke.
It appears that the residence of Lord Śiva was not on this planet but somewhere in outer space; otherwise how could Satī have seen the airplanes coming from different directions towards this planet and heard the passengers talking about the great sacrifice being performed by Dakṣa? Satī is described here as Dākṣāyaṇī because she was the daughter of Dakṣa. The mention of upadeva-vara refers to inferior demigods like the Gandharvas, Kinnaras and Uragas, who are not exactly demigods but between the demigods and human beings. They were also coming in planes. The word sva-nilayābhyāśe indicates that they were passing right near her residential quarters. The dress and bodily features of the wives of the heavenly denizens are very nicely described here. Their eyes moved, their earrings and other ornaments glittered and glared, their dresses were the nicest possible, and all of them had special lockets on their necklaces. Each woman was accompanied by her husband. Thus they looked so beautiful that Satī, Dākṣāyaṇī, was impelled to dress similarly and go to the sacrifice with her husband. That is the natural inclination of a woman.
FAQs
Satī notices well-adorned celestial women passing near her residence, and out of eagerness she addresses her husband Lord Śiva, indicating the unfolding context of Dakṣa’s sacrificial festival.
Bhūtapati means “lord of the Bhūtas,” referring to Śiva’s role as the master of beings often considered outside conventional social norms—highlighting his transcendence of material prestige.
Be attentive to spiritual context and communicate respectfully with loved ones; Satī’s eagerness to understand events around her shows the importance of sincere inquiry before acting.