Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 18
प्रयागे महत्समाजः — शिवदर्शनं दक्षागमनं च
The Great Assembly at Prayāga: Śiva’s Appearance and Dakṣa’s Arrival
दक्ष उवाच । रुद्रो ह्ययं यज्ञबहिष्कृतो मे वर्णेष्वतीतोथ विवर्णरूपः । देवैर्न भागं लभतां सहैव श्मशानवासी कुलजन्म हीनः
dakṣa uvāca | rudro hyayaṃ yajñabahiṣkṛto me varṇeṣvatītotha vivarṇarūpaḥ | devairna bhāgaṃ labhatāṃ sahaiva śmaśānavāsī kulajanma hīnaḥ
Dakṣa dit : «En vérité, j’ai exclu ce Rudra du yajña. Il dépasse les varṇa et se manifeste sans les marques habituelles du rang. Qu’il ne reçoive aucune part avec les dieux : il demeure au champ de crémation, dépourvu de lignée et de naissance nobles.»
Daksha
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse exposes how ego and ritual-pride (ahaṅkāra) distort dharma: Daksha judges Shiva through social identity, while Rudra signifies the transcendent Pati who is beyond varṇa and worldly status. Shaiva Siddhanta reads this as a warning that external rank cannot grant liberation—grace and devotion to Shiva do.
Daksha rejects Shiva’s “share” in yajña, symbolically rejecting the presence of Shiva as the inner Lord of all rites. Linga-worship affirms the opposite: Shiva is the substratum of sacrifice and its fruit; honoring the Linga means recognizing the divine even when it appears outside social conventions (śmaśāna-vāsī, ascetic forms).
The takeaway is humility in worship: perform japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and cultivate inner purity rather than pride in ritual status. If practiced, Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha can be worn as reminders of impermanence and Shiva’s transcendence, countering the mindset shown by Daksha.