Sati is a Hindu Goddess and is also called Dakshayani, Bhavani, Dakshakanya, Dakshakandari and Dakshayajna Vinashini. She is called the Goddess of Longevity, Marital Felicity and Power. She is affiliated to Durga, Parvati and
Adi Parashakti. Her consort is Lord Shiva and is the beautiful daughter of her parents; Prasuti and Prajapati Daksha. Goddess Sati lives in Mount Kailash. Her siblings are Diti, Aditi, Rohini, Revati, Khyati, Swadha and Svaha.
As per Hindu legend, Parvati and Sati both have played important role in taking Shiva away from ascetic isolation and bringing him into participate creatively with the world and enter into the role of a householder so as that his stored up energies are released in a positive way. Goddess Sati is known as Lord Shiva’s first and second wife.
One of the earliest references of Sati is in the Mahabharata – the Hindu epic, in which she lives in the Himalayas with Shiva. Their marriage is not a happy one as Daksha does not like Shiva’s different habits and messy appearance. Accordingly he plans a sacrifice or yajna but does not invite Sati or Shiva. Insulted and frustrated by this and snubbed by her father, she gets angry and sits in a yoga position, closes the 9 doors of her body and commits suicide.
Hearing this, the furious Shiva creates terrible beings that destroy the sacrifice and kills Daksha. In grief, Shiva then takes her body around the Universe which causes imbalance in the cosmic world. Vishnu is called to put an end to the turbulence. Vishnu follows Shiva and cuts up Sati’s body into pieces. On falling upon the earth, the pieces turn into holy places. Shiva realizes that her body is gone after which he continues normal practices in the mountains. Even today, pilgrims visit and worship these holy places.
