Shloka 9
Dakṣa’s Sacrifice Restored: Śiva’s Mercy and Nārāyaṇa’s Appearance
सन्धीयमाने शिरसि दक्षो रुद्राभिवीक्षित: । सद्य: सुप्त इवोत्तस्थौ ददृशे चाग्रतो मृडम् ॥ ९ ॥
sandhīyamāne śirasi dakṣo rudrābhivīkṣitaḥ sadyaḥ supta ivottasthau dadṛśe cāgrato mṛḍam
As the animal’s head was being set upon Dakṣa’s body, Dakṣa—touched by Rudra’s glance—at once regained consciousness, as if waking from sleep, and beheld Mṛḍa (Śiva) standing before him.
The example given here is that Dakṣa got up as if he were awakened from deep sleep. In Sanskrit this is called supta ivottasthau. The meaning is that after a man awakens from sleep, he immediately remembers all the duties which he must execute. Dakṣa was killed, and his head was taken away and burned to ashes. His body was lying dead, but by the grace of Lord Śiva, as soon as the head of a goat was joined to the body, Dakṣa came back to consciousness again. This indicates that consciousness is also individual. Dakṣa actually took another body when he took on the head of a goat, but because consciousness is individual, his consciousness remained the same although his bodily condition changed. Thus bodily construction has nothing to do with the development of consciousness. Consciousness is carried with the transmigration of the soul. There are many instances of this in Vedic history, such as the case of Mahārāja Bharata. After quitting his body as a king, Mahārāja Bharata was transferred to the body of a deer, but he retained the same consciousness. He knew that although formerly he was King Bharata, he had been transferred to the body of a deer because of his absorption in thinking of a deer at the time of his death. In spite of his having the body of a deer, however, his consciousness was as good as it was in the body of King Bharata. The arrangement by the Lord is so nice that if a person’s consciousness is turned into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no doubt that in his next life he will be a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, even if he is offered a different type of body.
FAQs
This verse shows that by Lord Śiva’s glance, Dakṣa immediately regained awareness and saw Śiva before him—highlighting Śiva’s benevolent, restorative mercy even after conflict.
In the narrative, Dakṣa is revived and, upon receiving Rudra’s direct glance, he awakens as if from sleep and perceives Lord Śiva standing in front—marking the moment of reconciliation and divine intervention.
The shloka emphasizes that a compassionate, steady response (like Śiva’s) can transform hostility into healing—encouraging restraint, humility, and reconciliation after offenses.