Shloka 32
Dakṣa Offends Lord Śiva: Cursing and Countercursing in the Sacrificial Assembly
तद्ब्रह्म परमं शुद्धं सतां वर्त्म सनातनम् । विगर्ह्य यात पाषण्डं दैवं वो यत्र भूतराट् ॥ ३२ ॥
tad brahma paramaṁ śuddhaṁ satāṁ vartma sanātanam vigarhya yāta pāṣaṇḍaṁ daivaṁ vo yatra bhūta-rāṭ
That Brahman is supremely pure—the eternal path of the saintly. By blaspheming the Vedic principles, O followers of Bhūtarāṭ (Lord Śiva), you will without doubt descend to the level of atheism.
Lord Śiva is described here as bhūta-rāṭ. The ghosts and those who are situated in the material mode of ignorance are called bhūtas, so bhūta-rāṭ refers to the leader of the creatures who are in the lowest standard of the material modes of nature. Another meaning of bhūta is anyone who has taken birth or anything which is produced, so in that sense Lord Śiva may be accepted as the father of this material world. Here, of course, Bhṛgu Muni takes Lord Śiva as the leader of the lowest creatures. The characteristics of the lowest class of men have already been described — they do not bathe, they have long hair on their heads, and they are addicted to intoxicants. In comparison with the path followed by the followers of Bhūtarāṭ, the Vedic system is certainly excellent, for it promotes people to spiritual life as the highest eternal principle of human civilization. If one decries or blasphemes the Vedic principles, then he falls to the standard of atheism.
FAQs
This verse states that the eternal, pure path of the saintly is to honor the Supreme and His devotees; condemning that path and rejecting Lord Śiva is described as pāṣaṇḍa—an irreligious, heretical deviation.
In the Dakṣa-yajña narrative, Daksha insulted Lord Śiva; Nandīśvara, defending Śiva and dharma, rebuked those who supported the insult, calling their stance a deviation from the saints’ eternal path.
Avoid sectarian contempt and speech that dishonors sincere devotees; cultivate respect for God’s servants and stay aligned with the time-tested spiritual practices upheld by saintly teachers.