Chapter 6, The Pain of an Ascetic Goddess
After Sati came of age, Daksha invited various sages and gods to a grand coming-of-age ceremony for her.
Daksha hated Shiva for cutting off one of his father Brahma's heads, and he knew his daughter was a reincarnation of Shiva's true nature, but he did not intentionally harm Sati.
Because he, the lord of all beings, was merely a creation of Brahma, his divine power vastly inferior to that of the Trinity. Even if he killed Sati, it would be useless; the goddess Sati could still continue to reincarnate.
The best revenge was to prevent Shiva and Sati from uniting, leaving Shiva forever in a state of incompleteness.
Therefore, Daksha forbade his daughter Sati from traveling to the north, did not reveal her true parentage, and prevented Sati from learning anything about Shiva.
After the guests had all arrived, Daksha took his seat in the main seat.
"I've invited you all here today to announce something important: my daughter Sati has come of age."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of blessings erupted from the crowd.
"Congratulations, Lord! Another precious daughter has grown up."
"I wonder which immortal Sati will marry?"
"I've heard Sati is more beautiful than Dasha's other daughters. Whoever marries her will be truly blessed."
"It's hard to say. Lord Dasha has kept a very close watch on this daughter; I haven't even seen her face in all these years. I suspect she'll marry the most distinguished man present."
"You mean... Lord Dasha will marry his own daughter?"
"It's absurd, but it's not impossible."
The immortals discussed animatedly, all hoping to see Sati.
Dasha clapped his hands in satisfaction and summoned his servants: "Bring my daughter Sati here. Have her perform a dance for the guests."
In the harem.
Sati was applying her finest cosmetics, dressing in front of the mirror.
"Oh, little Sati, you've made yourself so beautifully, which man are you going to seduce?"
"Why don't you just marry our husbands too? The three of us can serve the moon goddess together, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Get out of here. You two married women talking like this, aren't you ashamed?"
"Hehe, what's wrong with saying this? Anyway, when looking for a husband, he either has to be handsome or have high status. Does it matter how many wives he's had?"
Sati's sisters discussed marriage with playful banter. Sati didn't deny it, just smiled as she put on her makeup.
Actually, Sati had dressed up carefully today to make a good impression and get married. But her purpose was different from her sisters'. It wasn't for handsome looks, nor for status.
Before, her father, Daksha, had told her that only after Sati married could she study the Vedas.
Sati had long understood that handsome looks and high status would change with time. Only knowledge could stand the test of time. She longed to marry a man who also understood the Vedas. On their wedding night, they could engage in deep communion while reciting Vedas.
"Princess Sati, His Majesty invites you to the palace to perform a dance."
The servants urged the made-up Sati to the palace hall, where, behind a beaded curtain, she presented an elegant dance to the guests.
Truly, a young woman of Dharani had come of age, her graceful dance captivating. She married not for worldly pleasures, but solely for the sake of studying the scriptures.
Even behind the beaded curtain, unable to see Sati's true face, many sages were still captivated by her dance and figure.
"Now I finally know what love at first sight feels like."
"Bah! You call that love at first sight? Just admit you're lusting after her body."
"Silence! All of you! The daughter of His Majesty is not to be discussed so freely." The seven sages rebuked.
They were among the few sages who knew the true nature of Sati's origins, knowing that she was destined to marry Shiva. Anyone who disrupted this union would bring destruction to the world.
However, none of those present noticed that the joy on Sati's face was slowly transforming into unease as she danced.
In the depths of her being, she seemed to resonate with a man thousands of miles away.
A tall, handsome, and supremely majestic man flashed through her mind.
At the same time, Shiva resonated in his mind as well.
"All my years of arduous practice have been worthwhile; my wife has finally reached legal age. This damned asceticism, requiring abstinence, has been driving me crazy!"
Shiva emerged from the snow-capped mountains, came to the edge of a cliff, unfastened his tiger-skin coat, grasped his magnificent lingam, and unleashed a Crescent Slash towards the cliff below.
Countless flames spewed from Shiva's lingam, each spark igniting fiercely on the rocks below. 3
"Phew, this burst of power from over a decade of training can't even stop a stone. I wonder if Sati can withstand it?"2
Shiva, feeling refreshed, dressed and opened his eyes to find Nandi and his other followers had chased after him, kneeling behind him.
"Great God, please calm your anger! Your wrath will bring death to all living beings," Nandi pleaded, kowtowing.
"I'm not angry, I've just been under a lot of pressure from my ascetic practices lately."
"Great God, if your pressure is too great, please vent it on us. Whether it's whipping or cane torture, we can endure it."2
"Uh, never mind that. You all step back, I need to meditate properly on the edge of the cliff," Shiva replied awkwardly.
These followers were not only ugly, but they were all men. It would be better to use them to achieve his dreams than to use them to vent his stress.
Nandi led his followers to retreat into the realm of Shiva, where discussions continued incessantly.
"What's wrong with Da Tian? This is the first time I've ever seen him so angry."
"Luckily he didn't vent his anger in Shiva's realm, or we'd all be burned to death."
"Hey, you guys don't understand. Da Tian must have been abstaining from sex for too long and is craving women."
"Really? The Trinity is beyond worldly concerns, how could he still have attachments to matters of love?"
"This can't go on. Why don't we capture some women for Da Tian?"
"Are you kidding me? Da Tian's lingam can pierce the sky at its longest. You're going to capture some ordinary women to skewer and barbecue for Da Tian's lingam?"
"I heard there's a wandering sage named Narada who's good at telling risqué stories. Why don't we invite him over to quench Da Tian's thirst?"
"That's a good idea. Let's go find him."
Da Tian's followers, having survived for so long in the snowy mountains and through years of rigorous training, possessed extraordinary strength.
All the followers rode on Nandi, who had transformed into a bull, searching the sky for Narada's whereabouts.
Soon, in a forest, they heard Narada's song.
"Narayan, oh Narayan, oh Narayan. You Narayans have come to see me, what do you want with me?"
"Sage Narada, our great deity has been in a bad mood lately, venting his anger on the cliff edge. Please help soothe his emotions."
"It's obvious that Narayans are suffering from single-person anxiety. I'll have Narayan accompany you on this journey."
Narada also rode on Nandi and arrived at the cliff edge where Shiva was.
"Narayan, Narayana, you must be a great deity on par with Narayana."
"You are... a troublemaking sage?"
"These are all empty titles of Narayana. I, Narada, merely admire Narayana's free will. It is Narayana who was banished by those rigid sages. Especially that Narayana's Daksha, he is the true culprit who made you feel empty."
"Alright, alright, that's enough. I want some peace and quiet," Shiva quickly interrupted.
This Narada speaks without restraint, spilling everything. If he reveals all the gossip, how will Shiva maintain his authority among his followers?
Shiva slammed his trident into the ground, his entire body instantly turning into particles and disappearing, leaving behind bewildered followers.
At this moment, Brahma and Vishnu, far away in the heavens, sensed something amiss.
"Oh no, Shiva has entered a state of resignation again!"