Shaktism: Toward a Definition?

[Guest guest]

Okay Ive got to make it short

 

Sati is derived from sat meaning truth, a sati was a woman who

was "truth to her ideals". In the thousand names of DEVI, Sati means

the virtous one. So the question is who is the one to decide an ideal

woman?

 

There are several examples of women who did not immolate herself but

nonetheless came to be known as Sati. Example Savitri, Arundhati and

Anasuya Devi.

 

It is believe in some groups, that when a woman becomes a Sati, she

have purified the whole family generation and village itself.

 

To be continued..

[Guest guest]

Sati and the Daksha Yagna

 

 

Well this is a rather abridged version of the tale. I think it comes

from the 'Srimad Bhagavatam'. But from 'my understanding' this the

orgin of 'sati'.

 

Interesting is that in D.C. Sicar's book "The Shakti Pitha's" he

writes that the actual 'pithas' existed well before the legend. That

these were 'the forest devi's' that were pre-vedic at a time when

Bharat was a matriarcal society. Sicar is perhaps a little known by

highly acredited Indian scholar.

 

For me as the 'debate raged' over Shaktism vs Feminism I felt many

were missing the point that perhaps what has evolved as Shaktism is a

result of a patriarcal society complete with rules and scriptures that

give it credibility. From a social perspective I agree with Ammachi

(and she is not my Guru) that perhaps it is time to return the planet

to women who are more nurturing as the men have really screwed up the

planet with their egos. So from my perspective I had no problem with

Maryann's feminism as perhaps it was closer to what Shaktism was

before the men got involved.

 

The following is copied from Templenet. I'm sure there are much more

detailed versions on the web.

 

<begin quoted material>

 

Daksha Yagna - Story of Daksha's sacrifice and Sati-Shakti

Beliefs and Legends >>Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu

 

This legend is associated with the destruction of Daksha's sacrifice

and the origin of the Shakti Peethas of India. This is one of the

eight legends portraying Shiva as the destroyer of evil.

 

Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajaapati a

descendant of Bhrama.. Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of

her father. The vain Daksha performed a great yagna (with the sole aim

of insulting Shiva), to which he invited all of the gods and goddesses

except his son in law Shiva. Against Shiva's wishes, Sati attended

this sacrifice and was insulted by her father. Unable to bear this

insult, Sati immolated herself.

 

Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva through Veerabhadra,

destroyed Daksha's sacrifice, cut off Daksha's head and replaced it

with that of a goat, as he restored him to life. Still crazed with

grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the dance

of destruction throughout the Universe. The other gods intervened to

stop this dance, and the disk of Vishnu cut through the corpse of

Sati, whose various parts of the body fell at several spots all

through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites of what are known

as Shakti Peethas today.

 

An image of Dakshaaari Murthy, the slayer of Daksha is enshrined at

Tiruppariyalur near Thanjavur. The Veeratteswarar temple here is one

of the 8 Veerata stalas celebrating Shiva as the destroyer of evil forces.