It came time that one of the sixteen daughters of the lord Daksha was eligible for marriage. Since he had so many daughters, and not nearly enough time to arrange a marriage for all of them, Daksha decided to host a swayamvara, where the eligible maiden would have the opportunity to choose her own husband. Daksha was not motivated so much by the appeal to his daughters' independence, but rather saw the swayamvara as an opportunity to avoid the stress of managing the multitudes of suitors vying for the hand of his daughters, and thus, eventually, a share of his power. For Daksha, this was also a bit of a snide strategy to avoid marriage proposals that would be impossible to refuse, such as from a god. He decided that his daughters would not necessarily be smart enough to recognize a god in their midst, and would most likely over look them, resulting in a much tamer choice.
Unbeknownst to her father, Sati had grown with the knowledge of her father's dislike of the gods, and what began as a rebellious act, turned into genuine worship and appreciation of the very gods her father mistrusted. Sati had especially set aside a place in her heart for the god Shiva, the one figure her father had outright made sure to not invite to her swayamvara.
The day arrived of Sati's choosing. Men from all areas of the land came and were scattered about, either lounging with their own servants, playing at mock battles or grooming themselves in preparation to be presented before Sati. Sati searched among all the men, and although she had hoped to see him. Shiva was not present. Hours passed and Sati struggled to maintain an interest in the charms of her potential husbands, but she was consistently unimpressed.
At last, the pivotal moment presented itself. She held her breath - if this went badly, it would mean the end of her own life. Her father would not take kindly to embarrassment. With the eyes of dozens of hopeful men upon her, fixed on her in unyielding anticipation, Sati flung the wreath intended for the neck of her chosen beloved in the air, crying out in desperately for the god of her heart, Shiva. At a burst of bright light, the god appeared before them all, claiming Sati as his wife. As she embraced her new husband, Sati could hear the outraged cries of her father. She laughed and the god carried her away.
They settled in a remote house, nestled deep within the Kailas mountains. Here, Sati and Shiva made their home. Shiva received worshipers here, and often they brought gifts for Sati as well.
In later years, Sati's sisters came in turns to visit, but as it was a long journey, this was not often. Still, Sati had achieved that for which she had been aiming. She was safe, content, protected, and loved.
 |
Statue of Shiva - Nageshwar Mahadev, Shiva Temple, Gujarat - India by Emmanuel Dyan |
I chose to retell the tale of Sati from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita
I decided to elaborate on the actual process of Sati choosing Shiva and on the swayamvara. However, I decided not to focus on the latter half of the story, which results in Sati's death, because I felt like the ending of my story presents an acceptable stopping place in this tale. In this way, it is possible to read the story as a sort of love story.
