Shloka 13
Matsya Purana — Lineage of the Pitṛs
किमर्थं तात भर्ता मे यज्ञे ऽस्मिन्नाभिमन्त्रितः अयोग्य इति तामाह दक्षो यज्ञेषु शूलभृत् //
kimarthaṃ tāta bhartā me yajñe 'sminnābhimantritaḥ ayogya iti tāmāha dakṣo yajñeṣu śūlabhṛt //
She said: “For what reason, dear father, was my husband not invited to this sacrifice?” Thus she spoke. Dakṣa, while conducting the sacrificial rites, told her, “He is unfit.” (So it was said of the trident-bearing Lord.)
FAQs
This verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on a ritual conflict—Daksha’s sacrifice and the exclusion of Shiva—highlighting social-religious tensions rather than cosmic dissolution.
It underscores dharmic conduct in hosting rites: excluding a rightful person from a yajña out of bias is portrayed as a serious moral and ritual fault, warning householders and patrons against pride and partiality.
The ritual significance is the concept of invitation/adhikara (eligibility) in yajña proceedings—who is formally summoned and honored—showing how ritual protocol can become a site of ethical failure.