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SATYA
nate as the daughter of the old divinity Dakşa in order to become the perfect wife of Siva.12 And sati, furthermore, is the Sanskrit original form of the word that in English now is “suttee,” denoting the self-immolation of the Hindu widow on her husband's funeral pyrc-an act consummating the perfect identification of the individual with her role, as a living image of the romantic Hindu ideal of the wife. She is the goddess Sati herself, reincarnate; the sakti, or projected life-energy, of her spouse. Her lord, her enlivening principle, having passed away, her remaining body can be only a-sat, non-sat: "unrcal, non-existent, false, untrue, improper; not answering its purpose; bad, wicked, evil, vile." Asat, as a noun, means "non-existence, non-entity; untruth, falsehood; an evil," and in its feminine form, asati, "an unchaste wife.”
The tale of the queen, the saint, and the king teaches that Truth (sat-ya: "is-ness") must be rooted in the heart. The Act of Truth has to build out from there. And consequently, though dharma, the fulfillment of one's inherited role in life, is the traditional basis of this llindu feat of virtue, nevertheless, a lieartfelt truth of any order has its force. Even a shameful truth is better than a decent falsehood-as we shall learn from the following witty Buddhist tale.
The youth Yaññadatta had been bitten by a poisonous snake. His parents carried him to the feet of an ascetic, laid him down, and said, “Reverend sir, monks know simples and charms; heal our son."
"I know no simples; I am not a physician."
“But you are a monk; therefore out of charity for this youth perform an Act of Truth."
The ascetic replied, "Very well, I will perform an Act of Truth.” He laid his hand on Yaññadatta's head and recited the following stanza:
12 Cf. Zimnier, The King and the Corpse, pp. 264-285.
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| SR No. | 007309 |
| Book Title | Philosophies of India |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Heinrich Zimmer, Joseph Campbell |
| Publisher | Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd |
| Publication Year | 1953 |
| Total Pages | 709 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 34 MB |