Shloka 12
वीरभद्रस्य गमनप्रस्थानम् — Vīrabhadra’s Departure for Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
एताभिर्नवदुर्गाभिर्महाकाली समन्विता । ययौ दक्षविनाशाय सर्वभूतगणैस्सह
etābhirnavadurgābhirmahākālī samanvitā | yayau dakṣavināśāya sarvabhūtagaṇaissaha
Accompanied by these nine Durgās, Mahākālī set forth—together with all the hosts of beings—to bring about Dakṣa’s destruction.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it narrates Mahākālī’s mobilization with Navadurgās to terminate Dakṣa’s adharmic sacrifice—an archetype of yajña-śuddhi through Śiva’s authority.
Significance: Frames the doctrine that ritual without devotion and right relation to Pati (Śiva) becomes pāśa (bondage) and invites correction; inspires humility in yajña/karma.
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: Dharmic ‘samhāra’ applied locally: destruction of Dakṣa’s yajña as a corrective cosmic act under Śiva’s sovereignty.
FAQs
It shows how dharma responds when sacred order is violated: Daksha’s yajna becomes a symbol of egoistic ritualism that rejects Shiva, and Mahākālī with the Nine Durgās represents the divine power that dissolves arrogance and restores reverence to the Supreme (Pati).
Daksha’s offense is essentially the denial of Shiva’s supreme status; the corrective action underscores that Shiva is to be honored in worship—whether as Saguna (with form) or as the Linga symbolizing the transcendental reality—and that ritual without devotion to Shiva is spiritually incomplete.
A practical takeaway is humility-based Shiva-bhakti: daily japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and (where traditional) wearing Rudraksha and applying Tripuṇḍra as reminders to restrain ego and align actions with devotion.