Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 55
दक्षस्य रुद्रनिन्दा-निमित्तकथनम् / The Cause of Dakṣa’s Censure of Rudra
यस्मादवमता दक्षमत्कृते ऽनागसा सती । पूजिताश्चेतराः सर्वाः स्वसुता भर्तृभिः सह
yasmādavamatā dakṣamatkṛte 'nāgasā satī | pūjitāścetarāḥ sarvāḥ svasutā bhartṛbhiḥ saha
Parce que l’irréprochable Satī y fut méprisée par la volonté de Dakṣa, toutes ses autres filles, avec leurs époux, furent au contraire honorées comme il se doit.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Dakṣa’s yajña becomes the archetype of ritual divorced from devotion: Satī is dishonoured, Śiva is excluded, and the sacrifice collapses—teaching that yajña without Śiva-bhakti is spiritually sterile.
Significance: Reminds pilgrims that true merit arises from honoring Pati (Śiva) and His Śakti; disrespect to the Lord’s devotee/consort becomes a cause of bondage and downfall.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: liberating
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It highlights the Shaiva principle that disrespecting a pure devotee of Shiva—here the faultless Satī—reveals ego and spiritual ignorance, and such adharma becomes the seed of inevitable collapse.
Satī represents unwavering devotion to Saguna Shiva (Lord Shiva as the personal Lord). Daksha’s dishonour of her signals rejection of Shiva’s supremacy and devotion, a key narrative backdrop to the later rupture around ritual worship and true reverence.
The takeaway is devotional discipline: honour Shiva and Shiva-bhaktas, and cultivate humility while practicing japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) as an antidote to pride like Daksha’s.