Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 4 Verse 2

Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth Order | Chapter 4: Satī Quits Her Body

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.4.2

suhṛd-didṛkṣā-pratighāta-durmanāḥ

snehād rudaty aśru-kalātivihvalā

bhavaḿ bhavāny apratipūruṣaḿ ruṣā

pradhakṣyatīvaikṣata jāta-vepathuḥ

SYNONYMS

suhṛt-didṛkṣā — of the desire to see her relatives; pratighāta — the prevention; durmanāḥ — feeling sorry; snehāt — from affection; rudatī — crying; aśru-kalā — by drops of tears; ativihvalā — very much afflicted; bhavam — Lord Śiva; bhavānī — Satī; aprati-pūruṣam — without an equal or rival; ruṣā — with anger; pradhakṣyatī — to blast; iva — as if; aikṣata — looked at; jāta-vepathuḥ — shaking.

TRANSLATION

Satī felt very sorry at being forbidden to go see her relatives at her father's house, and due to affection for them, tears fell from her eyes. Shaking and very much afflicted, she looked at her uncommon husband, Lord Śiva, as if she were going to blast him with her vision.

PURPORT

The word apratipūruṣam, used in this verse, means "one who has no equal." Lord Śiva has no equal in the material world in regard to equality towards everyone. His wife, Satī, knew that her husband was equal towards everyone, so why in this case was he so unkind to his wife that he did not allow her to go to her father's house? This distressed her more than she could tolerate, and she looked at her husband as if she were ready to blast him with her vision. In other words, since Lord Śiva is the ātmā (śiva also means ātmā), it is indicated here that Satī was prepared to commit suicide. Another meaning of the word apratipūruṣa is "the personality who has no rival." Since Lord Śiva could not be persuaded to give her permission, Satī took shelter of a woman's last weapon, weeping, which forces a husband to agree to the proposal of his wife.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness