Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 72
भद्रस्य दिव्यरथारोहणं शङ्खनादश्च — Bhadra’s Divine Chariot-Ascent and the Conch-Blast
सस्मुत्पथप्रस्थितमप्रधृष्यो विक्षिप्य दक्षाध्वरमक्षतास्त्रैः । बभौ गणेशस्स गणेश्वराणां मध्ये स्थितः सिंह इवर्षभाणाम्
sasmutpathaprasthitamapradhṛṣyo vikṣipya dakṣādhvaramakṣatāstraiḥ | babhau gaṇeśassa gaṇeśvarāṇāṃ madhye sthitaḥ siṃha ivarṣabhāṇām
Unbesiegbar und unangreifbar zerschlug und zerstreute er Dakṣas Opfer mit Waffen, die niemals ihr Ziel verfehlten. Daraufhin erstrahlte Gaṇeśa unter den Herren der Gaṇas wie ein Löwe, der mitten unter Stieren steht.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
FAQs
It portrays how a yajña driven by pride and deviation from devotion to Pati (Śiva) becomes “wrong-path” (utpatha); divine order reasserts itself through Śiva’s gaṇas, teaching that spiritual acts without humility and right orientation to Śiva do not bear liberating fruit.
Dakṣa’s ritual symbolizes external religiosity divorced from recognition of Śiva as the supreme Lord; the verse reinforces that true worship—whether of the Liṅga or Saguna Śiva—must be grounded in surrender and reverence to Śiva, not in status, control, or mere ritual display.
The takeaway is to perform worship with Śiva-bhakti and humility—reciting the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), offering with purity of intent, and avoiding ego in ritual; the verse cautions that outer rites should be supported by inner alignment to Śiva.