Shloka 53
Brahmā Counsels the Demigods; Journey to Kailāsa; Śiva’s Tranquility and Brahmā’s Praise
एष ते रुद्र भागोऽस्तु यदुच्छिष्टोऽध्वरस्य वै । यज्ञस्ते रुद्रभागेन कल्पतामद्य यज्ञहन् ॥ ५३ ॥
eṣa te rudra bhāgo ’stu yad-ucchiṣṭo ’dhvarasya vai yajñas te rudra bhāgena kalpatām adya yajña-han
O Rudra, destroyer of the sacrifice, let this be your portion—the sacred remainder of the offering. By your accepting your share today, may the sacrifice be completed through your grace.
A sacrifice is a ceremony performed to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter, it is stated that everyone should try to understand whether the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied by his activity. In other words, the aim of our activities should be to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as in an office it is the duty of the worker to see that the proprietor or the master is satisfied, so everyone’s duty is to see whether the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied by one’s activity. Activities to satisfy the Supreme Godhead are prescribed in the Vedic literature, and execution of such activities is called yajña. In other words, acting on behalf of the Supreme Lord is called yajña. One should know very well that any activity besides yajña is the cause of material bondage. That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (3.9) : yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ. Karma-bandhanaḥ means that if we do not work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, then the reaction of our work will bind us. One should not work for his own sense gratification. Everyone should work for the satisfaction of God. That is called yajña.
FAQs
This verse shows that a sacrifice becomes complete only when Rudra (Śiva) is duly honored with his allotted portion; neglecting him disrupts the yajña.
After the devastation at Daksha’s sacrifice and the realization of his wrongdoing, Daksha seeks to restore order by offering Śiva his rightful share so the ritual can be properly concluded.
Spiritual practice should include humility and respect for all devotees and divine representatives; when we exclude or insult others, our “rituals” lose their real spiritual power.