Shloka 56
दक्षयज्ञे सत्या अपमानबोधः — Satī Encounters Disrespect at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
मा वः पदव्यस्स्म पितर्या अस्मदास्थितास्सदा । यज्ञशालासु वो धूम्रवर्त्मभुक्तोज्झिताः परम्
mā vaḥ padavyassma pitaryā asmadāsthitāssadā | yajñaśālāsu vo dhūmravartmabhuktojjhitāḥ param
Do not remain upon that course of conduct in which you stand with my father. In your sacrificial halls you have become those who feed upon the “smoke-path”—clinging only to outward rites—and thus you are utterly cast away from the Supreme, Śiva.
Satī (addressing Dakṣa’s ritualists/attendants in the Dakṣa-yajña episode)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: The verse occurs in the Dakṣa-yajña polemic: Satī condemns ritualism divorced from Śiva-bhakti, warning that mere karma-kāṇḍa (‘smoke-path’) obscures access to Para-Śiva.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
Satī warns that ritual pride and social alignment with Dakṣa’s anti-Śiva attitude becomes a “smoke-path” spirituality—outward acts without surrender to Para-Śiva—thereby blocking true liberation.
It contrasts external sacrifice with Śiva-centered worship: the Liṅga/Saguṇa-Śiva devotion purifies ego and grants Śiva’s grace, while yajña performed with contempt for Śiva yields only limited, transient results.
Shift from mere karma-kāṇḍa to Śiva-bhakti: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), reverence to the Liṅga, and inner purity (often expressed in Śaiva practice with bhasma and mantra) rather than prideful display.