Shloka 28
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
श्रीभगवानुवाच नात्मानं॑ स्तौमि देवेशि पश्य मे तनुमध्यमे । यं स्रक्ष्यामि वरारोहे यागार्थे वरवर्णिनि,श्रीभगवान् शिव बोले--देवेश्वरि! तनुमध्यमे! वरारोहे! वरवर्णिनि! मैं अपनी प्रशंसा नहीं करता हूँ। मेरा प्रभाव देखो। जिसके कारण तुम्हें दुःख हुआ है, उस यज्ञको नष्ट करनेके लिये मैं जिस वीर पुरुषकी सृष्टि कर रहा हूँ” उसपर दृष्टिपात करो
śrībhagavān uvāca — nātmānaṁ staumi deveśi paśya me tanumadhyame | yaṁ sṛkṣyāmi varārohe yāgārthe varavarṇini ||
The Blessed Lord said: “O Goddess, sovereign of the gods—O slender-waisted one, O fair-complexioned lady of noble hips—I do not praise myself. Behold my power. Look upon the hero whom I am about to bring forth for the sake of the sacrifice, to destroy that sacrifice which has become the cause of your sorrow.”
दक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores restraint and truthfulness in self-presentation (“I do not praise myself”) while affirming that divine power is shown through action, especially to uphold moral order when ritual becomes tainted by arrogance and causes harm.
Śiva addresses the Goddess, asking her to witness his power as he prepares to create a formidable being/hero for the purpose of destroying the sacrifice (yajña) that has become the source of her suffering—an allusion to the disruption of Dakṣa’s sacrifice after insult and wrongdoing.