Text 7]
Satī Quits Her Body
115
souls, and to test their realization an old animal was offered in the fire and again rejuvenated. That was the test of a Vedic  mantra . The animals gathered were not meant to be killed and eaten. The real purpose of a sacrifice was not to replace a slaughterhouse but to test a Vedic  mantra  by giving an animal new life. Animals were used to test the power of Vedic  mantras , not for meat.
TEXT 7
तामागतां तत्र न कश्चनाद्रियद् 
    विमानितां यज्ञकृतो भयाज्जनः । 
    ऋते स्वस्वै जननीं च सादराः 
    प्रेमाश्वुकण्ठ्यः परिषस्वजुर्मुदा ॥ ७ ॥
tām āgatām tatra na kaścanādriyad 
    vimānitām yajña-kṛto bhayāj janaḥ 
    ṛte svasṛīr vai jananīm ca sādarāḥ 
    premāśru-kaṇṭhyaḥ pariṣasvajur mudā
tām—her (Satī); āgatām—having arrived; tatra—there; na—not; kaścana—anyone; ādriyat—received; vimānitām—not receiving respect; yajña-kṛtaḥ—of the performer of the sacrifice (Dakṣa); bhayāt—from fear; janaḥ—person; ṛte—except; svasṛīḥ—her own sister; vai—indeed; jananīm—mother; ca—and; sādarāḥ—with respect; prema-aśru-kaṇṭhyaḥ—whose throats were filled with tears of affection; pariṣasvajuḥ—embraced; mudā—with glad faces.
TRANSLATION
When Satī, with her followers, reached the arena, because all the people assembled were afraid of Dakṣa, none of them received her well. No one welcomed her but her mother and sisters, who, with tears in their eyes and with glad faces, welcomed her and talked with her very pleasingly.
PURPORT
The mother and sisters of Satī could not follow the others, who did not receive Satī very well. Due to natural affection, they immediately embraced her with tears in their eyes and with loving feelings. This shows that women as a class are very softhearted; their natural affection and love cannot be checked by artificial means. Although the men present were very learned  brāhmaṇas  and demigods, they were afraid of their