Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.3.5-7
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSeeing Others Awakened Satī’s Desire
“The chaste lady Satī, the daughter of Dakṣa, heard the heavenly denizens flying in the sky conversing about the great sacrifice being performed by her father. When she saw that from all directions the beautiful wives of the heavenly denizens, their eyes very beautifully glittering, were near her residence and were going to the sacrifice dressed in fine clothing and ornamented with earrings and necklaces with lockets, she approached her husband, the master of the bhūtas, in great anxiety, and spoke as follows.”
What the purport teaches
- Satī heard heavenly travelers discussing her father’s great sacrifice as they passed near her residence. The purport suggests that Lord Śiva’s residence was somewhere in outer space.
- Satī is called Dākṣāyaṇī because she was Dakṣa’s daughter. Among the travelers were Gandharvas, Kinnaras and Uragas, beings situated between demigods and human beings.
- Seeing the beautifully dressed women traveling with their husbands impelled Satī to dress similarly and attend with her husband. In great anxiety, she approached him to speak.
Try this today
Notice one desire stirred by seeing others today, and name it before acting on it.
Ask yourself
What desires arise in me when I see others preparing for an attractive event?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.