aho anātmyaḿ mahad asya paśyata
prajāpateryasya carācaraḿ prajāḥ
jahāv asūn yad-vimatātmajā satī
manasvinīmānam abhīkṣṇam arhati
SYNONYMS:
aho — oh; anātmyam — neglect; mahat — great; asya — of Dakṣa; paśyata — just see;
prajāpateḥ — of the Prajāpati; yasya — of whom; cara-acaram — all
living entities; prajāḥ — offspring; jahau — gave up; asūn — her body;
yat — by whom; vimatā — disrespected; ātma-jā — his own daughter; satī —
Satī; manasvinī — voluntarily; mānam — respect; abhīkṣṇam —
repeatedly; arhati — deserved.
TRANSLATION:
It was astonishingthat Dakṣa, who was Prajāpati, the maintainer of all living entities,
was so disrespectful to his own daughter, Satī, who was not only chaste
but was also a great soul, that she gave up her body because of his
neglect.
PURPORT:
The word anātmya is significant. Ātmya means "the life of the soul," so this word indicates that although Dakṣa
appeared to be living, actually he was a dead body, otherwise how could
he neglect Satī, who was his own daughter? It was the duty of Dakṣa to
look after the maintenance and comforts of all living entities because
he was situated as Prajāpati, the governor of all living entities.
Therefore how is it that he neglected his own daughter, who was the most
exalted and chaste woman, a great soul, and who therefore deserved the
most respectful treatment from her father? The death of Satī because of
her being neglected by Dakṣa, her father, was most astonishing to all
the great demigods of the universe.
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