Maitreya continued: In this manner the tension between the father-in-law and son-in law, Dakṣa and Lord Śiva, continued for a con siderably long period (1).When Lord Brahmā appointed Dakṣa the chief of all the Prajāpatis, the progenitors of population, Dakṣa became very much puffed up (2).Dakṣa began a sacri fice named vājapeya, and he became exces sively confident of his support by Lord Brahmā. He then performed another great sac rifice, named bṛhaspati-sava (3).While the sac rifice was being performed, many brahmarṣis, great sages, ancestral demigods and other dem igods, their wives all very nicely decorated with ornaments, attended from different parts of the universe (4).
The chaste lady Satī, the daughter of Dakṣa, heard the heavenly denizens flying in the sky conversing about the great sacrifice being per formed by her father. When she saw that from all directions the beautiful wives of the heav enly denizens, their eyes very beautifully glit tering, were near her residence and were going to the sacrifice dressed in fine clothing and or namented with earrings and necklaces with lockets, she approached her husband, the mas ter of the bhūtas, in great anxiety, and spoke as follows (5-7). Satī said: My dear Lord Śiva, your father in-law is now executing great sacrifices, and all the demigods, having been invited by him, are going there. If you desire, we may also go (8).
I think that all my sisters must have gone to this great sacrificial ceremony with their husbands just to see their relatives. I also desire to deco rate myself with the ornaments given to me by my father and go there with you to participate in that assembly (9).My sisters, my mother’s sisters and their husbands, and other affection ate relatives must be assembled there, so if I go I shall be able to see them, and I shall be able to see the flapping flags and the performance of the sacrifice by the great sages. For these rea sons, my dear husband, I am very much anxious to go (10).This manifested cosmos is a wonder ful creation of the interaction of the three mate rial modes, or the external energy of the Su preme Lord. This truth is fully known to you. Yet I am but a poor woman, and, as you know, I am not conversant with the truth. Therefore I wish to see my birthplace once more (11).
O never-born, O blue-throated one, not only my relatives but also other women, dressed in nice clothes and decorated with ornaments, are go ing there with their husbands and friends. Just see how their flocks of white airplanes have made the entire sky very beautiful (12). O best of the demigods, how can the body of a daugh ter remain undisturbed when she hears that some festive event is taking place in her fa ther’s house? Even though you may be consid ering that I have not been invited, there is no harm if one goes to the house of one’s friend, husband, spiritual master or father without in vitation (13).O immortal Śiva, please be kind towards me and fulfill my desire. You have ac cepted me as half of your body; therefore please show kindness towards me and accept my re quest (14). The great sage Maitreya said: Lord Śiva, the deliverer of the hill Kailāsa, having thus been addressed by his dear wife, replied smil ingly, although at the same time he remem bered the malicious, heart-piercing speeches delivered by Dakṣa before the guardians of the universal affairs (15).
The great Lord replied: My dear beautiful wife, you have said that one may go to a friend’s house without being invited, and this is true, provided such a friend does not find fault with the guest because of bodily identification and thereby become angry towards him (16).Although the six qualities education, aus terity, wealth, beauty, youth and heritage are for the highly elevated, one who is proud of possessing them becomes blind, and thus he loses his good sense and cannot appreciate the glories of great personalities (17).One should not go to anyone’s house, even on the consid eration of his being a relative or a friend, when the man is disturbed in his mind and looks upon the guest with raised eyebrows and angry eyes (18).
Lord Śiva continued: If one is hurt by the arrows of an enemy, one is not as aggrieved as when cut by the unkind words of a relative, for such grief continues to rend one’s heart day and night (19). My dear white-complexioned wife, it is clear that of the many daughters of Dakṣa you are the pet, yet you will not be honored at his house because of your being my wife. Rather, you will be sorry that you are connected with me (20).One who is conducted by false ego and thus always distressed, both mentally and sen sually, cannot tolerate the opulence of self-re alized persons. Being unable to rise to the standard of self-realization, he envies such per sons as much as demons envy the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead (21). My dear young wife, certainly friends and relatives offer mutual greetings by standing up, welcoming one another and offering obei sances. But those who are elevated to the tran scendental platform, being intelligent, offer such respects to the Supersoul, who is sitting within the body, not to the person who identi fies with the body (22).
I am always engaged in offering obeisances to Lord Vāsudeva in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always pure consciousness, in which the Su preme Personality of Godhead, known as Vāsudeva, is revealed without any covering (23).Therefore you should not see your father, although he is the giver of your body, because he and his followers are envious of me. Be cause of his envy, O most worshipful one, he has insulted me with cruel words although I am innocent (24).If in spite of this instruction you decide to go, neglecting my words, the future will not be good for you. You are most respect able, and when you are insulted by your rela tive, this insult will immediately be equal to death (25).
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