tau sabadarasī suni'a prabhu kara'u sō bēgi upā'i.
hō'i maranu jēhiṁ binahiṁ śrama dusaha bipaniā bihā'i. 59.
---Then oh all-knowing^1 Lord (Ram), please listen to my earnest plea. Make an
arrangement soon whereby I can die without sufferings so that all my torments and
bad days are done with (and I am relieved from this ignoble life).’ (Doha no. 59)
[Note—So we see that at last Sati had to seek refuge with the same Lord Ram upon
whom she had cast so much doubts and aspersion. Her episode is an example of the
power of the Lord’s Maya, and the fact that in the final analysis it is the Lord who
will come to our rescue inspite of our mischief and irreverent behaviour.
(^1) Addressing Lord Ram as being “all-knowing” is significant. Sati meant to
convince Lord Ram that whatever she had said to him by way of prayer was the truth,
and there was no deceit in it. This was necessary because for all practical purposes
Sati has created a very bad reputation for herself—as a lier and deceitful woman. So,
let Lord Ram be convinced that notwithstanding whatever lies and cunning she may
have adopted ealier, but this time around she is being absolutely truthful and honest.
There are umpteen numbers of verses that reiterate that Lord Ram is all-knowing.
For instance, refer Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line nos. 3-4 that precede
Doha no. 53.
Now, why was Sati so confident that inspite of being offended, Lord Ram would
still heed her requests if she prayed to him with total truthfulness and surrender? The
answer is found in Ram Charit Manas, Ayodhya Kand, Chaupai line no. 7 that
precedes Doha no. 219 which affirms that “Lord Ram always keeps the wishes of his
followers, and this habit of his is endorsed and witnessed by the Vedas, the Purans,
the gods and saintly people”.
There are some interesting aspects to this tale. Sati has stated while praying to
Lord Ram: “if I have true devotion and affection for Lord Shiva’s feet” (refer:
Chaupai line no. 8 that precedes Doha no. 59—like a loyal wife must have), then she
should die without suffering (refer: Doha no. 59). In other words, she makes two
important requests: one is that inspite of her mistakes she still has true and undiluted
devotion and affection for Lord Shiva, and wishes to serve the Lord’s feet, and the
other is that she wishes to leave this body but do it without pain. The first request—
that she be allowed to serve Lord Shiva’s holy feet may not be explicit here, but all
ambiguity about it is removed later on in Chaupai line no. 5 that precedes Doha no.
65, and Chaupai line no. 7 that precedes Doha no. 64—where she explicitly asks this
blessings from Lord Hari or Lord Ram (because Ram is an incarnation of Hari).
The all-forgiving, all-merciful and most considerate Lord Ram has accepted all
her requests. (i) She will get to marry Shiva again in her next life as Parvati—refer:
Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 6 that precedes Doha no. 65. (ii) She
would not have to suffer long and indefinitely as she would die soon by jumping in
the sacred fire at her father’s fire-sacrifice—refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand,
Chaupai line no. 8 that precedes Doha no. 64.
Another interesting aspect is the way Sati left her body. It is narrated in Ram
Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 8 that precedes Doha no. 64 that Sati
burnt herself by jumping into the raging fire of the sacrificial pit at her father’s fire
sacrifice ritual. Fire is a well-known and reputed medium of purification because it
burns all impurities without affecting the original material. Even gold is purified by
putting it in fire. Shiva had taken a stern vow that he will have nothing to do with Sati
in her present body because she had committed a grave sin by disguising herself as
Sita, Lord Ram’s wife—refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 2 that
precedes Doha no. 57. And then Sati asks Lord Hari to bless her that she be Shiva’s
wife in the next birth so that she is able to serve the Lord’s holy feet—refer: Ram
Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 5 that precedes Doha no. 65.