Text 26
evaṁ sva-dehaṁ mahatāṁ mahīyasā
muhuḥ samāropitam aṅkam ādarāt
jihāsatī dakṣa-ruṣā manasvinī
dadhāra gātreṣv anilāgni-dhāraṇām
evam — thus; sva-deham — her own body; mahatām — of the great saints; mahīyasā — most worshipful; muhuḥ — again and again; samāropitam — seated; aṅkam — 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.
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.
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. It is therefore instructed 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 Himālayas, 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.