Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 23
प्रयागे महत्समाजः — शिवदर्शनं दक्षागमनं च
The Great Assembly at Prayāga: Śiva’s Appearance and Dakṣa’s Arrival
वृथा ते ब्रह्मचापल्याच्छप्तोयं दक्ष दुर्मते । वृथोपहसितश्चैवादुष्टो रुद्रो महा प्रभुः
vṛthā te brahmacāpalyācchaptoyaṃ dakṣa durmate | vṛthopahasitaścaivāduṣṭo rudro mahā prabhuḥ
Ô Dakṣa, à l’intelligence dévoyée : par ton arrogance de brahmane et ton orgueil inconstant, ta malédiction est vaine. Vaine aussi est ta moquerie, car Rudra, le Grand Seigneur, n’est nullement mauvais.
Sati (addressing Daksha in the sacrificial assembly)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Significance: Frames the Dakṣa episode as a warning: ritual status without Śiva-bhakti becomes pāśa (bondage) and leads to aparādha; humility is prerequisite for tīrtha/yajña merit.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse condemns ritual pride and ego (brahma-cāpalyam) and affirms Rudra as aduṣṭa—stainless and beyond moral taint—teaching that true dharma is humility and devotion to Pati (Shiva), not social arrogance.
Daksha’s insult reflects rejection of Saguna Shiva’s worship; Sati asserts that the Lord is faultless, implying that honoring Shiva—often approached through the Linga in the Purana—is superior to ego-driven ritualism and social contempt.
Adopt devotion and humility in worship—chant the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with inner reverence, and avoid pride in external rites; let offerings (like bhasma and Rudra-japa) be grounded in bhakti rather than display.