दक्षयज्ञध्वंसः—वीरभद्रप्रेषणं, देवविष्ण्वोः पराजयः, पुनरनुग्रहः
वीरभद्रः समाधाय विशिरस्कमथाकरोत् ततः प्रजापतिं धर्मं कश्यपं च जगद्गुरुम्
vīrabhadraḥ samādhāya viśiraskamathākarot tataḥ prajāpatiṃ dharmaṃ kaśyapaṃ ca jagadgurum
Entonces Vīrabhadra, ya dispuesto, los golpeó y los dejó sin cabeza; y después sometió a Prajāpati Dharma y a Kaśyapa, preceptor del mundo. Así, por la fuerza de los gaṇa del Señor, se quebró el orgullo nacido del yajña que ata al paśu en el pāśa, y quedó afirmada la supremacía de Pati sobre todo poder ritual.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Daksha-yajna episode to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It shows that Shiva (Pati) is not constrained by external ritual (yajña); when worship becomes ego-driven, it turns into pāśa (bondage) for the paśu. True Linga-oriented devotion prioritizes surrender and inner purity over pride in rite and status.
Through Vīrabhadra—Shiva’s manifested gaṇa-force—Shiva-tattva is portrayed as the sovereign power that corrects cosmic disorder, humbles even Prajāpatis, and re-establishes dharmic alignment by removing the “head” of अहंकार (ego) that fuels bondage.
The implied Pāśupata teaching is ego-cutting discipline: transforming ritual into inner worship by abandoning self-importance (ahaṅkāra) and aligning action with devotion to Pati (Shiva), rather than mere sacrificial display.