Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 4 Verse 26

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

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.4.26

evaḿ sva-dehaḿ mahatāḿ mahīyasā

muhuḥ samāropitam ańkam ādarāt

jihāsatī dakṣa-ruṣā manasvinī

dadhāra gātreṣv anilāgni-dhāraṇām

SYNONYMS

evam — thus; sva-deham — her own body; mahatām — of the great saints; mahīyasā — most worshipful; muhuḥ — again and again; samāropitam — seated; ańkam — on the lap; ādarāt — respectfully; jihāsatī — wishing to give up; dakṣa-ruṣā — due to anger towards Dakṣa; manasvinī — voluntarily; dadhāra — placed; gātreṣu — on the limbs of the body; anila-agni-dhāraṇām — meditation on the fire and air.

TRANSLATION

Thus, in order to give up her body, which had been so respectfully and affectionately seated on the lap of Lord Śiva, who is worshiped by great sages and saints, Satī, due to anger towards her father, began to meditate on the fiery air within the body.

PURPORT

Lord Śiva is described herein as the best of all great souls. Although Satī's body was born of Dakṣa, Lord Śiva used to adore her by sitting her on his lap. This is considered a great token of respect. Thus Satī's body was not ordinary, but still she decided to give it up because it was the source of unhappiness because of its connection with Dakṣa. This severe example set by Satī is to be followed. One should be extremely careful about associating with persons who are not respectful to the higher authorities. lt is instructed, therefore, in the Vedic literature that one should always be free from the association of atheists and nondevotees and should try to associate with devotees, for by the association of a devotee one can be elevated to the platform of self-realization. This injunction is stressed in many places in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; if one wants to be liberated from the clutches of material existence, then one has to associate with great souls, and if one wants to continue one's material existential life, then one may associate with persons who are materialistic. The materialistic way of life is based on sex life. Thus both becoming addicted to sex life and associating with persons who are addicted to sex life are condemned in the Vedic literature because such association will simply interfere with one's spiritual progress. However, association with great personalities, devotees who are great souls, will elevate one to the spiritual platform. Satīdevī decided to quit the body she had obtained from Dakṣa's body, and she wanted to transfer herself to another body so that she might have completely uncontaminated association with Lord Śiva. Of course, it is understood that in her next life she would take birth as the daughter of the Himalayas, Pārvatī, and then she would again accept Lord Śiva as her husband. Satī and Lord Śiva are eternally related; even after she changes her body, their relationship is never broken.

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