Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 56
दक्षयज्ञे सत्या अपमानबोधः — Satī Encounters Disrespect at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
मा वः पदव्यस्स्म पितर्या अस्मदास्थितास्सदा । यज्ञशालासु वो धूम्रवर्त्मभुक्तोज्झिताः परम्
mā vaḥ padavyassma pitaryā asmadāsthitāssadā | yajñaśālāsu vo dhūmravartmabhuktojjhitāḥ param
No permanezcáis en ese rumbo de conducta en el que os mantenéis junto a mi padre. En vuestros recintos de sacrificio os habéis vuelto quienes se alimentan del «sendero del humo»—aferrados sólo a ritos externos—y así quedáis totalmente apartados del Supremo, Śiva.
Satī (addressing Dakṣa’s ritualists/attendants in the Dakṣa-yajña episode)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: The verse occurs in the Dakṣa-yajña polemic: Satī condemns ritualism divorced from Śiva-bhakti, warning that mere karma-kāṇḍa (‘smoke-path’) obscures access to Para-Śiva.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
Satī warns that ritual pride and social alignment with Dakṣa’s anti-Śiva attitude becomes a “smoke-path” spirituality—outward acts without surrender to Para-Śiva—thereby blocking true liberation.
It contrasts external sacrifice with Śiva-centered worship: the Liṅga/Saguṇa-Śiva devotion purifies ego and grants Śiva’s grace, while yajña performed with contempt for Śiva yields only limited, transient results.
Shift from mere karma-kāṇḍa to Śiva-bhakti: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), reverence to the Liṅga, and inner purity (often expressed in Śaiva practice with bhasma and mantra) rather than prideful display.