Shloka 10
दक्षस्य यज्ञप्रवृत्तिः तथा ईश्वरवर्जितदेवसमागमः
Dakṣa’s Sacrificial Undertaking and the Devas’ Assembly without Īśvara
दधीच उवाच । अप्रपूज्ये चैव पूजा पूज्यानां चाप्य पूजने । नरः पापमवाप्नोति महद्वै नात्र संशयः
dadhīca uvāca | aprapūjye caiva pūjā pūjyānāṃ cāpya pūjane | naraḥ pāpamavāpnoti mahadvai nātra saṃśayaḥ
Dadhīci said: “When worship is offered to one who is not worthy of worship, and when those who are truly worthy are not worshipped, a person surely incurs great sin—of this there is no doubt.”
Sage Dadhichi
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: General dharma-principle applied to Dakṣa-yajña: misdirected worship and neglect of the truly worship-worthy (Śiva as Pati) generates pāpa and sets the stage for ritual failure.
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches discernment (viveka) in devotion: honoring the truly worthy—above all, Śiva as Pati and His dharmic representatives—purifies the heart, while misdirected reverence and neglect strengthen bondage (pāśa) and generate demerit.
In Shaiva practice, the Śiva-liṅga is the most worthy focus for pūjā because it is the sacred support for Saguna worship leading toward realization of Nirguna Śiva. The verse warns against replacing such worship with reverence toward unworthy objects or persons, and against neglecting Śiva’s prescribed forms of worship.
Perform regular Śiva-pūjā with proper priority—offer water, bilva leaves, and recite the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—while maintaining respect for gurus, sādhus, and dharmic elders; avoid careless or prestige-based worship that ignores scriptural worthiness.