Shloka 22

उत्पातवर्णनम् / Description of Portents at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice

Devanagari script

आकाशवाण्युवाच । धिक् जन्म तव दक्षाद्य महामूढोसि पापधीः । भविष्यति महद्दुःखमनिवार्यं हरोद्भवम्

Transliteration

ākāśavāṇyuvāca | dhik janma tava dakṣādya mahāmūḍhosi pāpadhīḥ | bhaviṣyati mahadduḥkhamanivāryaṃ harodbhavam

Translation

The heavenly voice said: “Fie upon your birth, O Dakṣa and the like! You are utterly deluded, with a sinful understanding. Great sorrow, unavoidable and arising because of Hara (Śiva), will come to pass.”

Word by Word

• ākāśa-vāṇī: the heavenly voice
• ākāśa-vāṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक) + vāṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: 'voice from the sky'

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada; 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• dhik: shame on!
• dhik: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle/interjection of censure (निन्दार्थक अव्यय)

• janma: birth
• janma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; used as object of censure with dhik

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; 2nd person pronoun

• dakṣa-ādya: O Dakṣa (and the like)/O Dakṣa foremost
• dakṣa-ādya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; 'O Dakṣa and the like/ O Dakṣa foremost' (contextual)

• mahā-mūḍhaḥ: a great fool
• mahā-mūḍhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate noun

• asi: you are
• asi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada; 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular

• pāpa-dhīḥ: sin-minded (one)
• pāpa-dhīḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; 'one whose intellect is sinful'

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), Parasmaipada; 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifies duḥkham

• duḥkham: sorrow
• duḥkham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• anivāryam: unavoidable
• anivāryam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anivārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective to duḥkham

• hara-udbhavam: arising from Hara
• hara-udbhavam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: 'arising from Hara (Śiva)'

Speaker

Ākāśavāṇī (celestial voice)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Rudra

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Pronouncement of unavoidable duḥkha ‘harodbhavam’—a fate-sealing oracle preceding the yajña’s ruin

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Daksha
• Hara

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It warns that arrogance and impure intellect (pāpa-dhī) toward Śiva and His devotees inevitably ripen into suffering; in Shaiva Siddhānta terms, ego and karmic bondage (pāśa) bring pain until one turns toward Pati (Śiva) with humility.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By naming Hara as the decisive divine agency, the verse reinforces Saguna Śiva as the Lord who governs karmic results; honoring the Liṅga with devotion and respect counters the kind of disrespect and pride that leads to downfall in the Dakṣa narrative.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is humility-based Śiva-bhakti: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and reverent worship (arcana) of the Liṅga, cultivating purity of intellect rather than pride.