116
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 4]
superior, Dakṣa, and because they knew that their welcoming Satī would displease him, although in their minds they wanted to receive her, they could not do so. Women are naturally softhearted, but men are sometimes very hardhearted.
TEXT 8
सौदर्यसम्प्रश्नसमर्थत्रार्तया
मात्रा च मातृष्वसृमिश्च सादरम् ।
दत्तां सपथो वरमासनं च सा
नादत्त पित्राप्रतिनन्दिता सती ॥ ८ ॥
saudarya-sampraśna-samartha-vārtayā
mātrā ca mātr-ṣvaṣṛbhiś ca sādaram
dattām saparyām varam āsanam ca sā
nādatta pitrāpratinanditā satī
saudarya —of her sisters;  sampraśna —with the greetings;  samartha —proper;  vārtayā —tidings;  mātrā —by her mother;  ca —and;  mātr-ṣvaṣṛbhiḥ —by her aunts;  ca —and;  sādaram —along with respect;  dattām —which was offered;  saparyām —worship, adoration;  varam —presents;  āsanam —a seat;  ca —and;  sā —she (Satī);  na ādatta —did not accept;  pitrā —by her father;  apratinanditā —not being welcomed;  satī —Satī.
TRANSLATION
Although she was received by her sisters and mother, she did not reply to their words of reception, and although she was offered a seat and presents, she did not accept anything because her father neither talked with her nor welcomed her by asking about her welfare.
PURPORT
Satī did not accept the greetings offered by her sisters and mother because she was not at all satisfied by her father's silence. Satī was the youngest child of Dakṣa, and she knew that she was his pet. But now, because of her association with Lord Śiva, Dakṣa forgot all his affection for his daughter, which very much aggrieved her. The material bodily conception is so polluted that even upon slight provocation all our relationships of love and affection are nullified. Bodily relationships are so transient that even though one is affectionate towards someone in a bodily relationship, a slight provocation terminates this intimacy.