Shloka 23
कपालिभार्येति सती दयिता स्वसुतापि च । नाहूता यज्ञविषये दक्षेणागुणदर्शिना
kapālibhāryeti satī dayitā svasutāpi ca | nāhūtā yajñaviṣaye dakṣeṇāguṇadarśinā
Though Satī was the beloved wife of Kapālī (Śiva) and also Dakṣa’s own daughter, when the matter of the yajña arose, Dakṣa—who saw only faults and did not discern Śiva’s true greatness—did not invite her.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Kaṅkālamūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; highlights Dakṣa’s ‘aguṇa-darśana’ (fault-finding) that precipitates the Satī episode, later linked in many regions to Śakti-pīṭha traditions rather than Jyotirliṅgas.
Significance: Warns against aparādha to Śiva and Śakti; teaches that social/ritual status cannot override divine relationship and devotion.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse highlights that ritual status and family ties cannot replace spiritual discernment: Daksha’s fault-finding pride blinds him to Śiva’s supreme nature, showing that devotion and right understanding must guide conduct, not ego.
Daksha’s refusal to invite Satī because she is ‘Kapālī’s wife’ reflects rejection of Śiva’s saguna form as the ascetic Lord; the Purana teaches that honoring Śiva—often worshiped as the Liṅga—is essential for yajña to be spiritually complete.
The takeaway is to purify intention before ritual: approach worship with humility and bhakti, and steady the mind with Śiva-mantra (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) rather than judging Śiva’s forms or devotees.