Shloka 10
दक्षयज्ञे सत्या अपमानबोधः — Satī Encounters Disrespect at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
यज्ञो यज्ञविदां श्रेष्ठो यज्ञांगो यज्ञदक्षिणः । यज्ञकर्ता च यश्शंभुस्तं विना च कथं मखः
yajño yajñavidāṃ śreṣṭho yajñāṃgo yajñadakṣiṇaḥ | yajñakartā ca yaśśaṃbhustaṃ vinā ca kathaṃ makhaḥ
He is the Yajña—the highest goal known to the knowers of sacrifice. He is the very limb of the sacrifice and its sacred fee (dakṣiṇā). He alone is the performer of the sacrifice—Śambhu. Without Him, how can any ritual offering (makha) truly take place?
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Śiva Purāṇa to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya within the Satī-khaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Type: stotra
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse teaches that all sacrificial merit and ritual efficacy ultimately depend on Śiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord): He is the essence, the means, and the giver of the फल (result). Thus, outer rites become spiritually complete only when offered with Śiva-centered devotion and surrender.
By declaring Śambhu as the very Yajña and its dakṣiṇā, the text affirms Saguna worship—such as Linga-pūjā—as a direct and complete offering. The Linga embodies the Lord who receives the offering and also grants the fruit, making worship superior to merely formal ritualism.
Perform every rite as Śiva-arpaṇa (offering to Śiva): begin with Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), worship the Linga with जल/दूर्वा/बिल्व, and conclude with dedicating the act and its merit to Śambhu—turning the external yajña into an inner sacrifice of ego.