The Hermit's Story
The next morning, Surya did not come, for the hermit did not pray for him to do so. Kailasa’s mourning had extended to the hermit and the days were as dark as night. After a long silence, the hermit spoke.
“Kailasa, my Lord, my dear friend, it is only fair for me to share my story, too. Listen-
I used to live near your feet. You may not remember me, for my prayers were content and mixed in with the villagers'. I lived alone for a long time and I was satisfied that way, until I met her.
She was the daughter of a king, a proud man, son of Brahma, who wanted only the best for his daughter; not what was best for her, but just the very best of all. The finest jewels, the largest army, everything. He ignored her desire to live ascetically, bringing her hordes of men for her to choose from.
Shiva and Sati
She chose me. I did not even know her back then. She merely prayed to me, prayed for me, and lived like me. She gave up the luxuries and glories for hunger, cold, and dirt. She did it gladly too, for all she wanted was to be my wife.
And so I came to her one day and held out my hand for her to take. I will never forget the shine in her eyes. I had never seen beautiful gems that could match her eyes. I promised to bring her here to live with me, but alas, that never was. She asked me to ask her father for her hand, to have his blessing; they may have not seen eye to eye, but she was still her father’s daughter and she respected him.
As we arrived at her father’s castle, there seemed to be a commotion going on, a party of sorts. I hesitated. I knew this couldn’t end well, for I was aware of her father’s contempt for me. “This is not a good idea, Love,” I told her, but she tugged my arm and gave me a weak smile. “I am his daughter, and they seem to be in the mood to celebrate. What harm could come with my visit?”
Before I could persuade my Sati to leave with me, she had already rushed away, surrounded by her sisters and mother who were ecstatic to see her. As I entered the castle to find her, I adopted a disguise so as to not attract attention. I saw what the celebration was about; there were pyres, fire sacrifices being made for each god except one. Then I knew this was not going to end well and rushed to find my beloved, but it was too late.
Her father was furious, his face purple in anger, yelling at her for associating with me. He shoved her and with that he expelled her from the family. Her sisters hugged her protectively, but there was no turning back.
Glowing like burning coals, Sati emerged from within the circle her sisters had made to protect her. She was fiery, angry, and even intimidating. This was nothing like the mild-mannered, candid, and soft-spoken Sati I knew. “Father, that’s quite enough. You may not approve of my decision. You may insult me for defying your wishes, even if you trampled over mine first. But under no circumstance will you humiliate and insult my husband. Shiva is a god, and you must make a sacrifice for him as well. You are the one who taints our family name and kingdom with your behavior. Since you won’t make a sacrifice for Shiva, I will.”
And with that, the fire extended from her glare to her hair, through her sari to the floor around her. Before being completely consumed by the fire, she gave me one last loving look.
I assumed my most terrible of forms. I could not bear thinking that my sweet Sati had given herself in sacrifice to me -in life and death- and I did nothing. I summoned Manbhadra and commanded it to take its two forms –Virabhadra and Bhadrakali- to spread destruction even further. I destroyed everything in that castle, raging, and carried the remains of my beloved away from that place. It was not until Vishnu took them away from me that I regained some composure. I have returned to being an ascetic, alone, and I will never forget the sweet dancing and singing of my Sati. The way she commented on the colors of nature and her expressive face.
Kailasa smiled sadly, for he now confirmed his suspicions of the true nature of his hermit companion. Kailasa also knew what was in store for Shiva and that cheered him up slightly. This was not the end of Shiva and his Sati, for she was going to come back as Parvati. Kailasa consoled him and told him that she would return soon, cautioning Shiva to keep his mind and heart open, for neither the mountain nor the god knew for certain who exactly she would be upon her return. Shiva listened closely, but he recoiled at the presence of humans and remained suspicious of any woman that would approach, as to not get his hopes up of finding Sati.
"If she found me once, she will find me again. If it truly is my Sati, she will return to me the way she found me, through meditation and ascetic life," Shiva consoled himself, determined. This answer satisfied Kailasa and they both resumed their meditation.
Author’s Note: The story of Sati was not one that we have had to read. The versions I read prior to writing my story have mostly the same storyline. The major tweak to the story of Sati and Shiva was the presence of Shiva when Sati sacrificed herself at the pyre. This action turned into an actual form of sacrifice in which a widow would jump into the funeral pyre of her husband. This practice has been held for thousands of years, much to the horror of colonial powers who banned the practice in their respective colonies (the Portuguese in Goa in 1515, the British in India in 1829). Sati, or suttee as it is pronounced, is still practiced today in certain places in India despite the Sati Prevention Act of 1987. The sacrifice is signaled on the tomb with the mark of an arm. This is a reflection of what happened immediately after Sati’s death. When Shiva roamed around aimlessly with her charred remains, Vishnu took Sati’s body apart in pieces trying to get it out of Shiva’s arms. It is said that the body fell in 51 different places and to this day they are considered sacred.
I did want to leave the door open for Sati's role as Parvati in the next story, hence the conclusion for this story. I looked at a few versions of the story to extract from for my own version. Sati and Parvati show immense devotion to Shiva while remaining strong as characters in their own right.
I felt that I could create a parallel between Kailasa wanting to protect Rambha and Shiva protecting Sati. They bond over their failure and finally start getting out of their withdrawal from grief. While Kailasa’s relationship to Rambha was more of a parental instinct to protect a daughter and Shiva and Sati were in love, the pain is similar and it is definitely strong enough to bring the mountain and the god together.
Sources:
Hey Krishna - Dakshayagnam
Kamakoti - Essence Of Maha Bhagavatha Purana
Naturally Yoga - The Story of Shiva and Sati
Vanamaliashram - Daksha Prajpati Mandir
Wikipedia - Sati (Goddess)
Wikipedia - Sati (Practice)
Shiva and Sati Marriage
Source: Hey Krishna...