Shloka 21
दधीच-शाप-हेतु-वर्णनम् / The Cause of Dadhīca’s Curse
Explaining Viṣṇu’s Role at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
शुक्र उवाच । दधीच तात संपूज्य शिवं सर्वेश्वरं प्रभुम् । महामृत्युंजयं मंत्रं श्रौतमग्र्यं वदामि ते
śukra uvāca | dadhīca tāta saṃpūjya śivaṃ sarveśvaraṃ prabhum | mahāmṛtyuṃjayaṃ maṃtraṃ śrautamagryaṃ vadāmi te
Śukra said: “O dear son Dadhīca, having duly worshipped Śiva—the Supreme Lord, the Master of all—I shall now declare to you the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra, the foremost Vedic (śrauta) mantra.”
Shukra (Śukrācārya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha
Sthala Purana: Mahāmṛtyuñjaya is classically linked with healing and life-restoration; in Jyotirliṅga lore, Vaidyanātha (the ‘Lord as Physician’) embodies Śiva as the healer who removes the affliction of death and grants ārogya and āyus.
Significance: Sought for healing, longevity, relief from chronic suffering, and protection from untimely death; devotees perform abhiṣeka and japa for āyur-ārogya.
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse establishes that the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya is not merely a protective chant but a śrauta, śruti-rooted mantra revealed after proper Śiva-pūjā—signifying that grace (anugraha) and liberation from the bondage of fear and death arise through devotion to Pati (Śiva), the Lord of all.
It frames mantra-upadeśa as proceeding from concrete worship (sampūjya) of Śiva as Prabhu and Sarveśvara—i.e., Saguna Śiva approachable through pūjā (often via the Liṅga). Through this Saguna devotion, the seeker is led toward Śiva’s supreme reality and freedom from saṃsāra.
Perform Śiva-pūjā first, then undertake Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra-japa with reverence as a Vedic-aligned practice—ideally with purity, steady concentration, and a prayer for Śiva’s grace to overcome inner “death” (ignorance, fear, bondage) as well as outer danger.