Sati addressed her father and said, “Within every living being in this creation, it is Śiva who remains as the Self. Hence in this creation, there is none superior to him. As He is the Self (atma) who exists within every being, He cannot favour one while despising another. He, the embodiment of truthfulness, does not have an enemy in this creation. Who else apart from you can behave in such unjust manner towards Śiva?
You are haughty because you are a Brahmin. Worthless lowly persons like you purely search for faults in others. Mediocre persons accept both good and bad in others as it actually exists. However noble saints ignore the bad qualities in others while highlighting their good qualities.
Most supreme Mahatmas do not even slightly notice the bad qualities in others. But at the same time, they notice even the slightest good quality in others and highlight it as a very supreme one. You have sinned against such a supreme Mahatma. Due to your hatred you have accumulated sins.
The wicked, who consider this gross body which in reality is inert like a corpse to be the Self, are always full of jealousy. It is not at all surprising that such persons criticize and condemn supreme Mahatmas.
Remember that the dust from the feet of these Mahatmas is enough to wipe away the radiance of such wicked beings and destroy them. In addition due to condemning supreme Mahatmas, in course of time, these wicked persons suffer in the form of punishments faced.
The reputation of the Mahatmas does not decrease when wicked persons condemn them. On the contrary, their fame only increases.
Yad dvy-akṣaraṁ nāma gireritaṁ nṛṇāṁ Sakṛt prasaṅgād agham āśu hanti tat
Pavitra-kīrtiṁ tam alaṅghya-śāsanaṁ Bhavān aho dveṣṭi śivaṁ śivetaraḥ
The two sylabled word Śiva (Śi+va) has acquired great prominence in the Vedas. Even if the word Śiva is uttered once casually it cleanses the person of all his sins! By singing the glories of Śiva, the human being becomes completely pure! There is none in this creation who can go against His dictates! You loathe such supreme Śiva. How shocking this is!
O father, you are a personification of sin. You are inauspicious. You hate Śiva, who is the father of this universe and whose lotus feet fulfill all desires of the devotees. You dislike that Śiva, to whose lotus feet bees called ‘the minds of noble souls desirous of liberation’, flock.
Desirous of sucking honey, bees hover around lotus flowers. Likewise, desirous of tasting the nectar known as supreme bliss (Brahmānanda), minds of noble beings flock to the lotus feet of Lord Śiva! They eternally meditate upon Him!
You had in the past criticized that Shankara takes on the name Śiva (auspiciousness) although he is aśiva (inauspicious). You had declared that he is inauspicious. Do you think that Brahma and all other Devatas are ignorant of this fact, which you claim to know?
Even though Śiva walks in crematoriums smearing himself with the ash found there, even though He wears garlands of skulls and bones, even though He lets his hair loose and is accompanied by ghosts and spirits, Brahma and other Devatas take the dust from His holy feet and apply it on their head. They consider themselves blessed to receive this Prasada. Do you really think that they are ignorant of this truth, which you assume to know?
Śiva is the protector of dharma. He is the Lord of this universe. When He is condemned in an assembly by the wicked, then the person who is listening to it should either punish the wicked or close his ears and walk out of the assembly. If he is capable, he should cut off the tongue of the sinful person who is condemning Śiva. The person who silently listens to the abuse being heaped upon Śiva, instead of following any of the remedies mentioned above, should simply give up his own life. This is dharma.
You have made it a habit to criticize Śiva. Henceforth I cannot live in this body, which has originated from you. Elders have stated that vomiting is the remedy for eating wrongful food, which should not have been eaten. Discarding this body given by you I will purify myself.
Na veda-vādān anuvartate matiḥ sva eva loke ramato mahā-muneḥ
Yathā gatir deva-manuṣyayoḥ pṛthak sva eva dharme na paraṁ kṣipet sthitaḥ
The do’s and don’ts of Vedas cannot bind a Yogi who is totally immersed in Self-bliss. He is over and above them. Just as humans and celestials do not travel on the same path, likewise beings established in supreme knowledge (jnanis) have a way of life which is different from those who are steadfastly devoted to action (karma). The human being should realize this great truth and should strictly abide by those duties which have been specifically allotted to him”.
Nārasimhāya namah
