True, there is nothing wrong in going to visit one's family even without
being invited, but if the people we are going to meet are immersed in the
identification with the body and find some reason of hostility against us, we
will only be able to irritate them even more. The unkind actions of those we
love can hurt us much more deeply and painfully than the arrows shot by
enemies. Although she was the youngest of his daughters, Sati could be
insulted and mistreated by her father simply because of her loyalty to Shiva.
Sati was torn between the wise instructions of Shiva and her intense desire
to see her relatives, and finally her attachment to her birth family prevailed.
Sati departed to go to the great ceremonies, accompanied by a royal retinue
organized by Shiva's followers, but when she entered the arena of the
sacrifice she was greeted only by her mother and sisters, while Daksha
totally ignored her. The other participants, too, pretended they had not
even seen her, because they feared Daksha's anger. Sati looked around and
noticed that no oblation had been prepared for Shiva. Daksha's offensive
behavior against Shiva had not toned down with time, but it had rather
worsened. Then Sati's anger exploded. Directly addressing her father in
front of all the participants to the ritual, Sati firmly defended Shiva, who is
so kind that he only finds the best qualities in people, without caring for
their defects, and he fulfills the prayers of everyone, from the simplest
persons to the greatest spiritualists. Only an envious materialist like Daksha
- Sati said - could insult and mock a great, pure and merciful soul such as
Shiva. Only a fool identified with the material body is unable to understand
the glory of renunciation and detachment in those who are situated on the
transcendental level.
Disgusted by her own birth relationship with Daksha, Sati decided to
renege the body she had received from her father, and through the practice
of mystic yoga she evoked the inner fire and instantly left her body,
meditating on Lord Shiva. The followers and attendants of Shiva, who had
accompanied Sati in procession to the sacrificial arena roared with anger
and despair at the sight of the suicide of their Lord's spouse, but Bhrigu,
reciting some mantras from the Yajur Veda, evoked thousand of celestial
beings known as Ribhus and ordered them to protect the ritual ceremonies.
Brandishing fire weapons, the Ribhus attacked Shiva's followers, who fell
back and scattered in all directions.When Shiva heard that his wife Sati had killed herself because of Daksha's
insults and his own army had been attacked by the Ribhus, he manifested a
terrible anger. He tore a strand of his own hair, radiant like fire, and threw it
to the ground evoking Virabhadra, the personification of God's anger: a
terrifying being, as tall as the sky and radiant like three suns, with thousands
of arms and innumerable weapons.
On Shiva's order, Virabhadra moved towards the arena of the sacrifice,
followed by many other warriors in Shiva's army, similar to a dust storm
that obfuscates the sky in all directions. They fell upon the Rishis, the
Prajapatis and the heavenly beings attending the ceremonies who had taken
Daksha's side, and punished them severely in accordance to their offenses.
Virabhadra himself ripped off Bhrigu's mustache, gouged Bhaga's eyes and
knocked off the teeth of Daksha and Pusha. Then, brandishing the
sacrificial knife, he decapitated Daksha and threw his head into the fire as if
it was an oblation. After torching the seating arrangement and the other
structures prepared for the ceremonies, Virabhadra and Shiva's ganas
returned to mount Kailash to their Lord.
Terrified and humiliated, the Rishis and the heavenly beings went to
Brahma to inform him of what had happened. Neither Brahma nor Vishnu
had gone to attend the sacrificial ritual, because they were expecting trouble
to break out, and Brahma said it very clearly: "A religious ceremony where a
saintly person is offended cannot have any success. You have no choice but
to sincerely beg forgiveness from Lord Shiva, who is kind and
compassionate by nature. You need to understand that Shiva is immensely
powerful, and at any time he is able to destroy all the planets in the
universe."
Followed by all the Rishis, Pitris, Prajapatis and heavenly beings, Brahma
himself went to Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, who holds court among
many divine beings, Kinnaras, Gandharvas and Apsaras. Mount Kailasa is a
wonderful place, filled with forests and gardens, waterfalls and grottos,
decorated by lake Alakananda, where Sati used to bathe, and by the two
rivers Nanda and Alakananda, with ghats paved with diamonds.
The forest Sugandhika is filled with a great varety of virtuous trees and
plants, heavy with sweet smelling flowers and fruits such as mandara,
parijata, sarala, tamala, tala, kovidara, asana, arjuna, kadamba, dhuli-kadamba,naga, punnaga, champaka, patala, asoka, bakula, kunda and kurabaka, mango and
banana trees, banyans, cinnamon trees, jasmine of various kinds,
blackberries, bamboos, and the plants known as malati, kubja, mallika,
madhavi, kata, jackfruit, julara, plaksa, nyagrodha, betel, bhurja-patra, rajapuga,
priyala, madhuka, inguda and kichaka, and many varieties of lotus flowers. In
its groves there are many deer, monkeys, boars, lions, tigers, buffaloes,
elephants and other animals, as well as many varieties of birds, whose
musical calls are mixed with the happy buzzing of bees.
After arriving in the presence of Shiva, who was sitting under a gigantic
banyan tree together with Kuvera, Narada and the four Kumaras,
discussing about the Absolute Truth, the heavenly beings offered him their
respects with folded hands. Shiva also stood up to greet Brahma, who
offered him very meaningful prayers, meant to educate the heavenly beings
who had come with him. Brahma addressed Shiva recognizing him as the
Supreme Brahman, the father and mother of the entire cosmic
manifestation, the creator of the system of sacrificial ceremonies and Vedic
civilization. "Shiva, the source of all auspiciousness and blessings, is the
Paramatma, and one who has obtained his darshana sees all living beings
equally, without making foolish discriminations based on the material
body."
Appealing to his compassion, omniscience and omnipotence, Brahma
prayed Shiva to accept the sacrificial oblations and allow the rituals to be
completed successfully.
Shiva explained that he had punished the heavenly beings simply to correct
them and not because he had been hurt by their offenses, committed out of
immaturity and lack of intelligence. To restore order in the universe, the
Prajapatis must return to functionality: Daksha would receive a new head to
replace the one burned in the fire, but it would be a goat's head. Bhrigu
would be given the goat's moustache and beard, Bhaga would use Mitra's
eyes, Pusha would use the teeth of his disciples, while Pusha and the Asvini
kumaras would give their hands to those who had been mutilated, but all
those who had wanted to offer oblations to Shiva would be completely
healed from all wounds.
Brighu and the other Rishis solemnly invited Lord Shiva to preside the
sacrificial ceremonies, and as soon he had received his new goat head,
Daksha awakened to life. Seeing Shiva in front of him, Daksha offered his
sincere prayers because he had been purified from all offenses, and bitterly
repented having caused the death of his beloved daughter Sati. The
sacrificial arena was purified and the offering of oblations in the fire was
resumed: this time, Lord Vishnu appeared to bless the ritual. Vishnu was
sitting on Garuda's back and accompanied by the Goddess of fortune; his
transcendental body was wrapped in a yellow cloth brilliant like gold, and
decorated with many wonderful ornaments. Respectfully worshiped with
beautiful prayers by Daksha and the other participants to the ceremony,
Vishnu graced the rituals with his presence, thus ensuring their success.
