Sati
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For sati in Buddhism, see mindfulness.
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Dakshayani
In Hinduism, Satī, also called Dakshayani, is one of the daughters of Prasuti and Daksha. She loved Shiva, but her father Daksha forbade her marriage to Shiva. She married Shiva anyway, and Daksha got revenge by not inviting Shiva to a festival during his absence. Sati killed herself by self-immolation on a fire. After Shiva returned and found Sati's body, he killed and decapitated Daksha, later replacing his head with a goat's.
It is believed that angry Shiva performed the Tandava dance with Sati's burned body in his hands. In the process, the different body parts of Sati fell in different places on earth. These places, 51 in number, are called Shakti Peethas. They are places of pilgrimage. The 51 Shakti peethas are:
| Sr. No. | Place | Organ and Ornament | Shakti | Bhairava |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hingula | The Suture On The Top Of The Head | Kottvisha | Bhimalochan |
| 2 | Sharkrar | Eyes | Mahishmardini | Krodhish |
| 3 | Sugandha | Nose | Sunanda | Trayambak |
| 4 | Kashmir | Throat | Mahamaya | Trisandhyeshwar |
| 5 | Jwalamukhi | Tongue | Siddhida | Unmat Bhairav |
| 6 | Jalandhar | Breast | Tripurmalini | Bhishan |
| 7 | Vaiddyanath | Heart | Jaya Durga | Vaiddyanath |
| 8 | Nepal | Knee | Mahamaya | Kapali |
| 9 | Manas | Right Hand | Dakshapani | Amar |
| 10 | Virja in Utkal | Navel | Vimla | Jagannath |
| 11 | Gandaki | Temple | Gandaki | Chakrapani |
| 12 | Bahula | Left Arm | Goddess Bahula | Bhiruk |
| 13 | Ujjayini | Wrist | Mangal Chandika | Kapilambar |
| 14 | Tripura | Right Leg | Tripur Sundari | Tripuresh |
| 15 | Chahal | Right Arm | Bhawani | Chandrashekhar |
| 16 | Tristrota | Left Leg | Bhramri | Bhairaveshwar |
| 17 | Kamgiri (kamakhya in Assam) | Genital Organ | Kamakhya | Umanand |
| 18 | Prayag | Finger (Hand) | Lalita | Bhava |
| 19 | Jayanti | Left Thigh | Jayanti | Kramadishwar |
| 20 | Yugaddya | Great Toe (Right) | Bhoot Dhatri | Ksheer Khandak |
| 21 | Kalipeeth, Kolkota | Right Toe | Kalika | Nakuleesh |
| 22 | Kireet | Crown | Vimla | Sanwart |
| 23 | Varanasi | Ear Ring | Vishalakshi & Manikarni | Kalbhairav |
| 24 | Kanyashram | Back | Sarvani | Nimish |
| 25 | Kurukshetra | Ankle Bone | Savitri | Sthanu |
| 26 | Manibandh | Two Wristlets | Gayatri | Sarvanand |
| 27 | Shri Shail | Neck | Mahalaxmi | Shambaranand |
| 28 | Kanchi | Bone | Devgarbha | Ruru |
| 29 | Kalmadhav | Buttock (Left) | Kali | Asitang |
| 30 | Shondesh | Buttock (Right) | Narmada | Bhadrasen |
| 31 | Ramgiri | Breast | Shivani | Chandbhairav |
| 32 | Vrindavan | Ringlets Of Hair | Uma | Bhutesh |
| 33 | Shuchi | Teeth (Upper Jaw) | Narayani | Sanhar |
| 34 | Panchsagar | Teeth (Lower Jaw) | Varahi | Maharudra |
| 35 | Kartoyatat | Talpa (Ornament) | Arpana | Vaman Bhairav |
| 36 | Shri Parvat | Right Ankle | Shri Sundari | Sundaranand Bhairav |
| 37 | Vibhash | Left Ankle | Kapalini | Sarvanand |
| 38 | Prabhas | Stomach | Chandrabhaga | Vakratund |
| 39 | Bhairavparvat | Upper Lip | Avanti | Lambkarna |
| 40 | Jansthal | Chin (Two Parts) | Bhramari | Vikritaksh |
| 41 | Sarvashail | Left Cheek | Rakini | Vatsnabh |
| 42 | Godavaritir | Right Cheek | Vishveshi | Dandpani |
| 43 | Ratnavali | Right Shoulder | Kumari | Shiva |
| 44 | Mithila | Left Shoulder | Uma | Mahodar |
| 45 | Nalhati | Tubular Bones Of The Feet | Kalika Devi | Yogesh |
| 46 | Karnat | Ear | Jayadurga | Abhiru |
| 47 | Vakreshwar | Mind | Mahishmardini | Vakranath |
| 48 | Yashor | Hand & Foot | Yashoreshwari | Chand |
| 49 | Attahas | Lips | Phullara | Vishvesh |
| 50 | Nandipur | Necklace | Nandini | Nandikeshwar |
| 51 | Lanka | Anklets | Indrani | Rakshaseshwar |
Sati was reborn as Pārvatī (the daughter of the mountain or Parvata), and reappears as Shiva's consort. This story appears in detail in Tantra literature and in Kalidasa's Kumarasambhavam.
Sati Savitri
Another woman with the title of Sati is Savitri. Savitri was the wife of Satyavan, who begged Yama (the God of Death), to restore her husband to life. Her dogged persistence caused Yama to grant her one wish, on the condition that the wish should not be to restore Satyavan's life. Then Savitri asked to have children from Satyavan, after which Yama had no choice but to restore his life. The Vata Savitri Vrata is performed to celebrate this event. Savitri thus symbolises chastity, boldness, perseverance and tactfulness.
The Social Practice
By extension from the mythic Sati, the term is also used for the death, voluntary or involuntary, of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands in India. The term is also extended to refer to the widow herself. For this usage, the term is often written using the old English spelling of suttee. Though supposed to be voluntary, it is believed to have been often enforced on the widow by various social pressures, or by the use of drugs.
In Ramayana, after the death of Dasharatha Kausalya, Sumitra, Kaikeyi do not perform Sati. While Tara, wife of Vali, the monkey king performs Sati. In Mahabharata, Satyavati - wife of Shantanu; Ambike and Ambalike - wives of Vichitraveerya etc. do not perform Sati. Madri, second wife of Pandu performs Sati while Kunti, the first wife does not. The Tantras strictly condemn the practice of Sati. So it has been a practice which was a subject of great debate from earlier times.
In medival periods, due to widespread Islamic invasions and rampage that follows, Sati must have served as the best way to protect the widowed women from the invading armies. This practice when performed in large numbers by women of royal families was called Jauhar.
The practice has generally been restricted to certain castes and communities. Some accounts indicate that it may have been introduced from central Asia by Scythians, from whom Rajputs of Rajasthan are believed to be descended. Sati is known to have been practised in many different regions of India from medieval times, though the prevalence varied. Many rulers made efforts to ban or limit it, including the Mughal emperors. The practice was moderately common in Rajasthan and in parts of the Gangetic plain till the early 19th century, and a few hundred deaths were recorded each year then. At this time it was rather uncommon or even unknown in other parts of India.
It was banned in the Bengal Presidency on December 4, 1829, other East India Company lands shortly after, and in the last princely state to permit it, Jaipur in 1846. Instances however continue to occur occasionally to the present day. Various measures against it now include efforts to stop the 'glorification' of the dead women. This glorification often includes the erection of shrines to the dead, encouragement of pilgrimages to the site of the pyre, and an income to nearby villagers.
In 1988, Roop Kanwar allegedly immolated herself on the pyre of her husband in Rajasthan's Deorala village. The event quickly turned into a national case of outrage, pitting a modern Indian ideology against a traditional one. A much-publicised investigation led to the arrest of a large number of people from Deorala, said to be present at or participants in the ceremony. Eventually, 11 were charged. On January 31, 2004, a special court in Jaipur acquitted all of the 11 accused in the case observing that the prosecution had failed to prove charges that they glorified sati.
See also
- Jauhar
- In Egyptian mythology, Sati is an alternate spelling for Satis.de:Sati