Shloka 15
Dakṣa’s Sacrifice Restored: Śiva’s Mercy and Nārāyaṇa’s Appearance
योऽसौ मयाविदिततत्त्वदृशा सभायां क्षिप्तो दुरुक्तिविशिखैर्विगणय्य तन्माम् । अर्वाक् पतन्तमर्हत्तमनिन्दयापाद् दृष्टयार्द्रया स भगवान्स्वकृतेन तुष्येत् ॥ १५ ॥
yo ’sau mayāvidita-tattva-dṛśā sabhāyāṁ kṣipto durukti-viśikhair vigaṇayya tan mām arvāk patantam arhattama-nindayāpād dṛṣṭyārdrayā sa bhagavān sva-kṛtena tuṣyet
I did not truly know Your glory; therefore, in the assembly I hurled at You arrows of harsh words, and You did not regard them. By disobeying the most venerable Lord, I was falling toward the path of hell, yet You, in compassion, saved me by granting due punishment. May the Lord be pleased by His own mercy, for by my words I cannot satisfy You.
As usual, a devotee in an adverse condition of life accepts such a condition to be the mercy of the Lord. Factually, the insulting words used by Dakṣa against Lord Śiva were enough to have him thrown perpetually into a hellish life. But Lord Śiva, being kind toward him, awarded him punishment to neutralize the offense. King Dakṣa realized this and, feeling obliged for Lord Śiva’s magnanimous behavior, wanted to show his gratitude. Sometimes a father punishes his child, and when the child is grown up and comes to his senses, he understands that the father’s punishment was not actually punishment but mercy. Similarly, Dakṣa appreciated that the punishment offered to him by Lord Śiva was a manifestation of Lord Śiva’s mercy. That is the symptom of a person making progress on the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is said that a devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness never takes any miserable condition of life to be condemnation by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He accepts the miserable condition to be the grace of the Lord. He thinks, “I would have been punished or put into a more dangerous condition of life due to my past misdeeds, but the Lord has protected me. Thus I have received only a little punishment as token execution of the law of karma. ” Thinking of His grace in that way, a devotee always surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead more and more seriously and is not disturbed by such so-called punishment.
FAQs
This verse shows Daksha admitting his offense and glorifying Shiva’s compassion—teaching that sincere repentance and honoring the offended Vaiṣṇava/mahādeva is the path to relief from reactions.
After Daksha’s sacrifice was disrupted and later restored, Daksha realized his envy and harsh speech toward Shiva; he then offered prayers acknowledging Shiva’s greatness and forgiveness.
Admit the fault without excuses, genuinely seek forgiveness, and cultivate humility—recognizing that compassion and restraint (like Shiva’s) are higher than retaliation.