Shloka 24
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
माघस्य ह्यसिते पक्षे विशिष्टा सातिकीर्तिता । निशीथव्यापिनी ग्राह्या हत्याकोटिविनाशिनी
māghasya hyasite pakṣe viśiṣṭā sātikīrtitā | niśīthavyāpinī grāhyā hatyākoṭivināśinī
In the dark fortnight of the month of Māgha, this observance—known as the Sātī—has been declared especially exalted. It should be undertaken when it extends through midnight (niśītha); it destroys even crores of sins arising from acts of killing.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: The verse names the observance ‘Sātī’ and prescribes its calendrical power: Māgha kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, observed when it spans niśītha (midnight). The name ‘Sātī’ evokes Satī/Śiva’s mythic axis of purity and expiation, though here it functions primarily as a vrata-title.
Significance: Highlights a high-efficacy expiatory vrata (prāyaścitta-bhakti): observing at the correct liminal time (niśītha) is said to destroy even massive sin-loads (hātyā-koṭi), encouraging night-vigil worship at Śiva-kṣetras.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: liberating
Offering: dipa
FAQs
It emphasizes that correctly timed Śiva-observance in Māgha’s dark fortnight—especially when spanning midnight—becomes exceptionally potent, purifying even immense accumulated pāpa and turning the devotee toward Śiva’s grace.
The instruction about niśītha (midnight) aligns with traditional Śiva-liṅga upāsanā performed at night, where Saguna Śiva is worshipped through liṅga-abhisheka, mantra-japa, and vigil, making the rite spiritually efficacious.
Observe the rite on a niśīthavyāpinī tithi: keep night-vigil, perform Śiva-liṅga pūjā/abhisheka, and do Panchākṣarī japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a repentant, purificatory intention.