Sati in the Ramcharitmanas

Once, in the Treta age, Shambhu went to the sage Agastya, the pitcher-born. With him went Sati, Bhavani, the mother of the world. The sage worshipped them, knowing them to be the lords of all the universe. The chief of sages narrated the…

As he went, Shiva pondered in his heart how he might obtain a sight of the Lord. The Lord has taken birth in a hidden form; if I go to him, everyone will come to know who he is. Great agitation filled Shankara's heart, yet Sati did not…

At that moment Shambhu saw Rama, and a very great joy arose in his heart. He gazed with full eyes upon that ocean of beauty, but judging it an unfitting time, he did not make himself known. "Victory to you, Being, Knowledge and Bliss…

Vishnu, who took a human body for the good of the gods, is all-knowing, just as Shiva, the destroyer of Tripura, is. Would he, the abode of wisdom, the lord of Lakshmi and foe of the demons, go searching like an ignorant man for his wife?…

"If your mind is so full of doubt, then why do you not go and test him yourself? I will sit here beneath the banyan tree until you come back to me. Use your discernment and take thought, and make whatever effort will dispel your great…

Lakshmana saw the disguise that Uma had assumed, and he was astonished; a great bewilderment arose in his heart. Very grave and steadfast of mind, he could say nothing, for he knew the power of the Lord. But the Lord of the gods, who sees…

Hearing Rama's gentle words, so deep in their hidden meaning, Sati was overcome with great embarrassment. Full of fear, she set out toward Mahesha, with deep anxiety in her heart.

"I did not heed Shankara's words, and I imputed my own ignorance to Rama. What answer shall I give when I go back?" A terrible burning pain arose in her heart. Rama knew that Sati had been grieved, and he revealed to her something of his…

Sati saw countless incomparable Saktis: Sarasvati, Lakshmi and others. In whatever form Brahma and the other gods appeared, each of them was in a body that matched his.

Wherever she looked she saw as many Ramas as there were, and with each of them all the gods, accompanied by their powers. She saw too all the living beings of the world, moving and unmoving, in their many kinds. The gods in many different…

Then Sati went near to Mahesha, and he smiled and asked after her welfare: "Tell me the whole truth: in what manner did you put him to the test?"

Sati, thinking of the majesty of Rama, the hero of the Raghus, was seized by fear and hid the truth from Shiva. She said, "Lord, I made no test at all. I simply bowed in homage, just as you did." "What you said cannot be false; my mind has…

Then Shankara bowed his head at the feet of the Lord, and as he remembered Rama, this thought came into his heart. "In this body of hers I may have no union with Sati." Thus Shiva made a resolve in his mind. Having so resolved, Shankara…

Sati reasoned in her heart that the all-knowing Shiva had understood everything: "I practised deceit on Shambhu; a woman is by nature foolish and ignorant." See how fine is the way of love: water is sold like milk when it joins with it.…

In her heart she grieved as she thought over her own deed, and her anxiety was boundless, beyond all description. "Shiva is an ocean of mercy and of supreme depth; he did not openly tell me of my fault." Bhavani, watching Shankara's…

Sati dwelt on Kailasa then, with great anxiety in her mind. No one knew her secret sorrow, and each day passed for her like an age.

Each day a fresh anxiety weighed on Sati's heart: when shall I cross over this ocean of sorrow? I insulted Rama, the Lord of the Raghus, and then took my husband's word to be false. The Creator has given me the fruit of that deed; whatever…

Then, O Lord who sees all, hear me and quickly devise a means by which death may come to me without any toil, and I may be rid of this unbearable calamity.

Thus Sati, the daughter of the Prajapati, remained in distress, bearing a heavy and dreadful sorrow beyond all telling. When eighty-seven thousand years had passed, the imperishable Shambhu came out of his trance. Shiva began to remember…

Kinnaras, Nagas, Siddhas and Gandharvas, and all the gods together with their wives, set out. Leaving aside Vishnu, Brahma and Mahesha, all the gods set out, having made ready their celestial cars. Sati beheld in the sky the aerial cars of…