Shloka 12
दक्षयज्ञे मुनिदेवसमागमः / The Gathering of Sages and Gods at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
वर्त्तमाने महायज्ञे तीर्थे कनखले तदा । ऋत्विजश्च कृतास्तेन भृग्वाद्याश्च तपोधनाः
varttamāne mahāyajñe tīrthe kanakhale tadā | ṛtvijaśca kṛtāstena bhṛgvādyāśca tapodhanāḥ
At that time, when the great sacrifice was in progress at the sacred tīrtha of Kanakhala, Dakṣa had appointed as officiating priests (ṛtvij) the austere sages—Bhṛgu and others—abounding in spiritual merit.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Kanakhala (near Haridwar) is evoked as a famed tīrtha where Dakṣa conducts a grand Vedic sacrifice; the narrative sets the stage for Śiva’s exclusion and the later rupture that culminates in Satī’s self-immolation and Śiva’s intervention.
Significance: Merit of tīrtha-yātrā and śrauta associations; in the Purāṇic frame it also warns that ritual merit without Śiva-bhakti becomes spiritually sterile.
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It highlights that even a grand Vedic sacrifice, staffed by powerful ṛṣis, remains spiritually incomplete when it is driven by ego and excludes reverence for Lord Śiva (Pati), the inner Lord of all rites.
The narrative backdrop is Dakṣa’s sacrifice performed without honoring Śiva; in Śaiva understanding, all yajña-fruit is fulfilled only when offered to Śiva—often symbolized by Linga-worship as the visible focus for Saguna devotion.
The takeaway is to unite outer ritual with Śiva-bhakti—begin worship with Śiva-smaraṇa, japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), and a humble offering attitude, so the rite becomes a means toward purification rather than pride.