Shloka 12
दक्षस्य प्रजावृद्ध्युपायः — Dakṣa’s Means for Increasing Progeny
पितृप्रोक्ताः प्रजासर्गकरणार्थं ययुर्दिशम् । प्रतीचीं तपसे तात सर्वे दाक्षायणास्सुताः
pitṛproktāḥ prajāsargakaraṇārthaṃ yayurdiśam | pratīcīṃ tapase tāta sarve dākṣāyaṇāssutāḥ
Urged on by their father for the sake of bringing forth creation through progeny, all the sons of Dakṣa set out—dear one—toward the western quarter to perform austerities (tapas).
Sūta Gosvāmī (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it narrates the dispatch of Dakṣa’s sons for tapas to enable prajā-sarga, immediately preceding the Nārada-related disruption.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It presents tapas (austerity and disciplined restraint) as the sacred means by which even worldly duties like progeny-creation are aligned with dharma—showing that right action becomes fruitful when supported by inner purification and divine-oriented effort.
Although the verse does not explicitly mention Liṅga worship, the Shiva Purana repeatedly frames successful tapas as ultimately dependent on Śiva’s grace (Saguna Shiva as the compassionate Lord who grants boons). The sons of Dakṣa undertaking austerity fits this pattern of seeking divine sanction for cosmic and social order.
The direct takeaway is the practice of tapas—regular vows, purity, and focused meditation. In Shiva Purana practice, this is commonly supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and observances like fasting or restrained living, undertaken with devotion rather than mere ambition.