Talks Between Lord Shiva and Sati

Verse 1 (bhagavata.4.3.1)

मैत्रेय उवाच सदा विद्विषतोरेवं कालो वै ध्रियमाणयोः । जामातुः श्वशुरस्यापि सुमहानतिचक्रमे ॥ १ ॥

maitreya uvāca sadā vidviṣator evaṁ kālo vai dhriyamāṇayoḥ jāmātuḥ śvaśurasyāpi sumahān aticakrame

Sri Maitreya continued: Thus a very long time passed by, with the enmity between son-in-law and father-in-law, Bhagavan Shiv and Daksha, still unresolved.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.4.3.2)

यदाभिषिक्तो दक्षस्तु ब्रह्मणा परमेष्ठिना । प्रजापतीनां सर्वेषामाधिपत्ये स्मयोऽभवत् ॥ २ ॥

yadābhiṣikto dakṣas tu brahmaṇā parameṣṭhinā prajāpatīnāṁ sarveṣām ādhipatye smayo ’bhavat

When Brahma, the supreme creator, installed Daksha as chief over all the Prajapatis, Daksha grew filled with pride.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.4.3.3)

इष्ट्वा स वाजपेयेन ब्रह्मिष्ठानभिभूय च । बृहस्पतिसवं नाम समारेभे क्रतूत्तमम् ॥ ३ ॥

iṣṭvā sa vājapeyena brahmiṣṭhān abhibhūya ca bṛhaspati-savaṁ nāma samārebhe kratūttamam

After performing the vajapeya sacrifice, and surpassing even the most learned brahmanas, he undertook a supreme sacrifice called the brihaspati-sava.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.4.3.4)

तस्मिन्ब्रह्मर्षयः सर्वे देवर्षिपितृदेवताः । आसन् कृतस्वस्त्ययनास्तत्पत्न्यश्च सभर्तृकाः ॥ ४ ॥

tasmin brahmarṣayaḥ sarve devarṣi-pitṛ-devatāḥ āsan kṛta-svastyayanās tat-patnyaś ca sa-bhartṛkāḥ

At that sacrifice were present all the brahmarshis, the divine sages, and the ancestral deities, each having performed the auspicious rites, together with their wives.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.4.3.5)

तदुपश्रुत्य नभसि खेचराणां प्रजल्पताम् । सती दाक्षायणी देवी पितृयज्ञमहोत्सवम् ॥ ५ ॥

tad upaśrutya nabhasi khe-carāṇāṁ prajalpatām satī dākṣāyaṇī devī pitṛ-yajña-mahotsavam

Hearing the sky-travelers speaking of it as they passed overhead — of this great festival of sacrifice at her father's house — the goddess Sati, daughter of Daksha —

Verse 6 (bhagavata.4.3.6)

व्रजन्तीः सर्वतो दिग्भ्य उपदेववरस्त्रियः । विमानयानाः सप्रेष्ठा निष्ककण्ठीः सुवाससः ॥ ६ ॥

vrajantīḥ sarvato digbhya upadeva-vara-striyaḥ vimāna-yānāḥ sa-preṣṭhā niṣka-kaṇṭhīḥ suvāsasaḥ

— and seeing, from every direction, the loveliest wives of the celestial beings journeying by on their aerial cars with their beloved husbands, finely robed and adorned with golden lockets at their throats —

Verse 7 (bhagavata.4.3.7)

दृष्ट्वा स्वनिलयाभ्याशे लोलाक्षीर्मृष्टकुण्डलाः । पतिं भूतपतिं देवमौत्सुक्यादभ्यभाषत ॥ ७ ॥

dṛṣṭvā sva-nilayābhyāśe lolākṣīr mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalāḥ patiṁ bhūta-patiṁ devam autsukyād abhyabhāṣata

— their eyes restless with joy, their earrings gleaming, passing near her own abode — Sati, with eager longing, spoke thus to her husband, the lord of all beings.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.4.3.8)

सत्युवाच प्रजापतेस्ते श्वशुरस्य साम्प्रतं निर्यापितो यज्ञमहोत्सवः किल । वयं च तत्राभिसराम वाम ते यद्यर्थितामी विबुधा व्रजन्ति हि ॥ ८ ॥

saty uvāca prajāpates te śvaśurasya sāmprataṁ niryāpito yajña-mahotsavaḥ kila vayaṁ ca tatrābhisarāma vāma te yady arthitāmī vibudhā vrajanti hi

Sati said: It seems that your father-in-law, the Prajapati, is now conducting a great sacrificial festival. If you wish, let us also go there, since even those gods who were invited are on their way.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.4.3.9)

तस्मिन्भगिन्यो मम भर्तृभिः स्वकै- र्ध्रुवं गमिष्यन्ति सुहृद्दिदृक्षवः । अहं च तस्मिन्भवताभिकामये सहोपनीतं परिबर्हमर्हितुम् ॥ ९ ॥

tasmin bhaginyo mama bhartṛbhiḥ svakair dhruvaṁ gamiṣyanti suhṛd-didṛkṣavaḥ ahaṁ ca tasmin bhavatābhikāmaye sahopanītaṁ paribarham arhitum

My sisters must surely be going there with their own husbands, eager to see their loved ones; I too wish to go there with you and honor the gift my father once brought me.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.4.3.10)

तत्र स्वसृर्मे ननु भर्तृसम्मिता मातृष्वसृः क्लिन्नधियं च मातरम् । द्रक्ष्ये चिरोत्कण्ठमना महर्षिभि- रुन्नीयमानं च मृडाध्वरध्वजम् ॥ १० ॥

tatra svasṝr me nanu bhartṛ-sammitā mātṛ-ṣvasṝḥ klinna-dhiyaṁ ca mātaram drakṣye cirotkaṇṭha-manā maharṣibhir unnīyamānaṁ ca mṛḍādhvara-dhvajam

There, long as I have yearned for it, I shall see my sisters, each honored equal to her husband, and my mother's sisters, and my own mother whose heart melts with tenderness, and the flags of the sacrifice being raised aloft by the great sages, O Mrida.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.4.3.11)

त्वय्येतदाश्चर्यमजात्ममायया विनिर्मितं भाति गुणत्रयात्मकम् । तथाप्यहं योषिदतत्त्वविच्च ते दीना दिदृक्षे भव मे भवक्षितिम् ॥ ११ ॥

tvayy etad āścaryam ajātma-māyayā vinirmitaṁ bhāti guṇa-trayātmakam tathāpy ahaṁ yoṣid atattva-vic ca te dīnā didṛkṣe bhava me bhava-kṣitim

This whole wondrous world, made of the three modes, shines forth in you through the maya of the unborn Self — this you know well. Yet I am merely a woman, unversed in such truths, and I long, humble as I am, to see my birthplace once more, O Bhava.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.4.3.12)

पश्य प्रयान्तीरभवान्ययोषितो ऽप्यलड़्क़ृताः कान्तसखा वरूथशः । यासां व्रजद्भिः शितिकण्ठ मण्डितं नभो विमानैः कलहंसपाण्डुभिः ॥ १२ ॥

paśya prayāntīr abhavānya-yoṣito ’py alaṅkṛtāḥ kānta-sakhā varūthaśaḥ yāsāṁ vrajadbhiḥ śiti-kaṇṭha maṇḍitaṁ nabho vimānaiḥ kala-haṁsa-pāṇḍubhiḥ

See, O blue-throated one, how even the wives of ordinary men — not your own kind — go in their finery, in troops with their beloved companions, their swan-white aerial cars filling and adorning the sky.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.4.3.13)

कथं सुतायाः पितृगेहकौतुकं निशम्य देहः सुरवर्य नेङ्गते । अनाहुता अप्यभियन्ति सौहृदं भर्तुर्गुरोर्देहकृतश्च केतनम् ॥ १३ ॥

kathaṁ sutāyāḥ pitṛ-geha-kautukaṁ niśamya dehaḥ sura-varya neṅgate anāhutā apy abhiyanti sauhṛdaṁ bhartur guror deha-kṛtaś ca ketanam

O foremost of the gods, how can a daughter's body remain still on hearing of festivity in her father's house? Out of affection one may go, even uninvited, to the house of one's husband, one's teacher, or the one who gave one this body.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.4.3.14)

तन्मे प्रसीदेदममर्त्य वाञ्छितं कर्तुं भवान्कारुणिको बतार्हति । त्वयात्मनोऽर्धेऽहमदभ्रचक्षुषा निरूपिता मानुगृहाण याचितः ॥ १४ ॥

tan me prasīdedam amartya vāñchitaṁ kartuṁ bhavān kāruṇiko batārhati tvayātmano ’rdhe ’ham adabhra-cakṣuṣā nirūpitā mānugṛhāṇa yācitaḥ

Therefore, O immortal one, be pleased with me and fulfil this my wish, for you are truly compassionate. You yourself, with your all-seeing eyes, have regarded me as half of your own body — so, thus entreated, grant me your favor.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.4.3.15)

ऋषिरुवाच एवं गिरित्रः प्रिययाभिभाषितः प्रत्यभ्यधत्त प्रहसन् सुहृत्प्रियः । संस्मारितो मर्मभिदः कुवागिषून् यानाह को विश्वसृजां समक्षतः ॥ १५ ॥

ṛṣir uvāca evaṁ giritraḥ priyayābhibhāṣitaḥ pratyabhyadhatta prahasan suhṛt-priyaḥ saṁsmārito marma-bhidaḥ kuvāg-iṣūn yān āha ko viśva-sṛjāṁ samakṣataḥ

The sage Maitreya said: Thus addressed by his beloved, Girisha (Shiva), dear to all, smilingly replied — though he was reminded of the heart-piercing, harsh-worded arrows Daksha had shot at him before the assembled creators of the universe.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.4.3.16)

श्रीभगवानुवाच त्वयोदितं शोभनमेव शोभने अनाहुता अप्यभियन्ति बन्धुषु । ते यद्यनुत्पादितदोषदृष्टयो बलीयसानात्म्यमदेन मन्युना ॥ १६ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca tvayoditaṁ śobhanam eva śobhane anāhutā apy abhiyanti bandhuṣu te yady anutpādita-doṣa-dṛṣṭayo balīyasānātmya-madena manyunā

Sri Bhagavan said: What you have said, O lovely one, is indeed proper — that one may go uninvited to the house of one's kin — provided those kin have not developed a fault-finding eye, born of the powerful intoxication of false identification with the body, kindled by wrath.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.4.3.17)

विद्यातपोवित्तवपुर्वयःकुलैः सतां गुणैः षड्भिरसत्तमेतरैः । स्मृतौ हतायां भृतमानदुर्दृशः स्तब्धा न पश्यन्ति हि धाम भूयसाम् ॥ १७ ॥

vidyā-tapo-vitta-vapur-vayaḥ-kulaiḥ satāṁ guṇaiḥ ṣaḍbhir asattametaraiḥ smṛtau hatāyāṁ bhṛta-māna-durdṛśaḥ stabdhā na paśyanti hi dhāma bhūyasām

Learning, austerity, wealth, beauty, youth and lineage are, for the virtuous, six true qualities, but for the base they become sources of pride. When such pride destroys one's good sense, one becomes stiffened with arrogance and blind, unable to see the true glory of the great.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.4.3.18)

नैतादृशानां स्वजनव्यपेक्षया गृहान्प्रतीयादनवस्थितात्मनाम् । येऽभ्यागतान् वक्रधियाभिचक्षते आरोपितभ्रूभिरमर्षणाक्षिभिः ॥ १८ ॥

naitādṛśānāṁ sva-jana-vyapekṣayā gṛhān pratīyād anavasthitātmanām ye ’bhyāgatān vakra-dhiyābhicakṣate āropita-bhrūbhir amarṣaṇākṣibhiḥ

One should not go to the house of such unsettled persons merely on account of kinship, when they regard visitors with a twisted mind, raised eyebrows, and eyes burning with intolerance.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.4.3.19)

तथारिभिर्न व्यथते शिलीमुखैः शेतेऽर्दिताङ्गो हृदयेन दूयता । स्वानां यथा वक्रधियां दुरुक्तिभि- र्दिवानिशं तप्यति मर्मताडितः ॥ १९ ॥

tathāribhir na vyathate śilīmukhaiḥ śete ’rditāṅgo hṛdayena dūyatā svānāṁ yathā vakra-dhiyāṁ duruktibhir divā-niśaṁ tapyati marma-tāḍitaḥ

A man wounded by an enemy's arrows, though his body suffers, does not grieve as much as when he lies wounded at heart by the cruel words of his own kin with twisted minds — that pain, striking the very core, torments him day and night.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.4.3.20)

व्यक्तं त्वमुत्कृष्टगतेः प्रजापतेः प्रियात्मजानामसि सुभ्रु मे मता । तथापि मानं न पितुः प्रपत्स्यसे मदाश्रयात्कः परितप्यते यतः ॥ २० ॥

vyaktaṁ tvam utkṛṣṭa-gateḥ prajāpateḥ priyātmajānām asi subhru me matā tathāpi mānaṁ na pituḥ prapatsyase mad-āśrayāt kaḥ paritapyate yataḥ

O fair-browed one, it is plain that among the beloved daughters of the exalted Prajapati you are held dearest by me; yet even so, you will not receive honor at your father's house, since it is because of your connection with me that he now feels aggrieved.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.4.3.21)

पापच्यमानेन हृदातुरेन्द्रियः समृद्धिभिः पूरुषबुद्धिसाक्षिणाम् । अकल्प एषामधिरोढुमञ्जसा परं पदं द्वेष्टि यथासुरा हरिम् ॥ २१ ॥

pāpacyamānena hṛdāturendriyaḥ samṛddhibhiḥ pūruṣa-buddhi-sākṣiṇām akalpa eṣām adhiroḍhum añjasā paraṁ padaṁ dveṣṭi yathāsurā harim

One whose heart burns with envy, his senses restless, cannot bear the prosperity of those who bear witness to the Self through pure intelligence; unable to rise easily to that supreme state himself, he comes to hate them, just as demons hate Bhagavan Hari.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.4.3.22)

प्रत्युद्गमप्रश्रयणाभिवादनं विधीयते साधु मिथः सुमध्यमे । प्राज्ञैः परस्मै पुरुषाय चेतसा गुहाशयायैव न देहमानिने ॥ २२ ॥

pratyudgama-praśrayaṇābhivādanaṁ vidhīyate sādhu mithaḥ sumadhyame prājñaiḥ parasmai puruṣāya cetasā guhā-śayāyaiva na deha-mānine

O slender-waisted one, when the wise rise to greet one another, bow humbly and offer salutations, they do so, in their hearts, to the Supreme Person seated within, dwelling in the heart's cave — not to one who merely identifies with the body.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.4.3.23)

सत्त्वं विशुद्धं वसुदेवशब्दितं यदीयते तत्र पुमानपावृतः । सत्त्वे च तस्मिन्भगवान्वासुदेवो ह्यधोक्षजो मे नमसा विधीयते ॥ २३ ॥

sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditaṁ yad īyate tatra pumān apāvṛtaḥ sattve ca tasmin bhagavān vāsudevo hy adhokṣajo me namasā vidhīyate

Where pure, unalloyed consciousness — called Vasudeva — is attained, there the Supreme Person stands revealed without any veil; it is in that state of pure consciousness that I offer my obeisance to Bhagavan Vasudeva, who is beyond the perception of the senses.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.4.3.24)

तत्ते निरीक्ष्यो न पितापि देहकृद् दक्षो मम द्विट्तदनुव्रताश्च ये । यो विश्वसृग्यज्ञगतं वरोरु मा- मनागसं दुर्वचसाकरोत्तिरः ॥ २४ ॥

tat te nirīkṣyo na pitāpi deha-kṛd dakṣo mama dviṭ tad-anuvratāś ca ye yo viśvasṛg-yajña-gataṁ varoru mām anāgasaṁ durvacasākarot tiraḥ

O most graceful one, therefore your father, though he gave you this body, is not fit to be seen by you, nor are his followers — for he, though a creator of the universe, insulted me with harsh words at his sacrifice, though I was innocent and had done him no wrong.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.4.3.25)

यदि व्रजिष्यस्यतिहाय मद्वचो भद्रं भवत्या न ततो भविष्यति । सम्भावितस्य स्वजनात्पराभवो यदा स सद्यो मरणाय कल्पते ॥ २५ ॥

yadi vrajiṣyasy atihāya mad-vaco bhadraṁ bhavatyā na tato bhaviṣyati sambhāvitasya sva-janāt parābhavo yadā sa sadyo maraṇāya kalpate

If, disregarding my words, you still go there, no good will come of it for you; for when one who is truly honorable suffers insult at the hands of one's own kin, that insult becomes, at once, tantamount to death.