Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 83
पञ्चावरणमार्गस्थं योगेश्वरस्तोत्रम्
Pañcāvaraṇa-mārga Stotra to Yogeśvara Śiva
भद्रकालीप्रियो नित्यं मात्ःणां चाभिरक्षिता । यज्ञस्य च शिरोहर्ता दक्षस्य च दुरात्मनः
bhadrakālīpriyo nityaṃ mātḥṇāṃ cābhirakṣitā | yajñasya ca śirohartā dakṣasya ca durātmanaḥ
അവൻ നിത്യം ഭദ്രകാളിക്ക് പ്രിയൻ; മാതൃകാദേവിമാർ കാത്തുരക്ഷിക്കുന്നവൻ. യജ്ഞത്തിന്റെ ശിരസ്സു ഹരിച്ചവനും ദുഷ്ടബുദ്ധിയുള്ള ദക്ഷന്റെ തല വെട്ടിയവനും അവൻ തന്നേ.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Sthala Purana: Allusion to Dakṣa-yajña-vidhvaṃsa: Vīrabhadra (Śiva’s wrath-form) destroys Dakṣa’s sacrifice and beheads Dakṣa for insulting Śiva and Satī; the Mātṛkās and Bhadrakālī are portrayed as Śiva’s śakti-forces supporting the cosmic rebalancing of dharma.
Significance: Remembrance of Dakṣa-yajña teaches humility before Pati (Śiva) and the futility of ritual divorced from devotion; inspires śaraṇāgati and reverence to Śiva-Śakti.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: Dakṣa-yajña-dhvaṃsa (archetypal rupture of adharmic ritual and its correction)
FAQs
It highlights Shiva’s role as Pati (the Supreme Lord) who dissolves ego-driven ritualism: when sacrifice is performed without devotion and right reverence, its “head” (pride and false authority) is cut down, restoring dharma.
The verse points to Saguna Shiva’s protective and corrective grace in history (Daksha Yajna). Linga-worship teaches that the Absolute is honored not by mere outer rites but by inner surrender (bhakti) and recognition of Shiva as the indwelling Lord.
Perform yajña and daily worship with the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” offering actions without pride; keep disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and mantra-japa as reminders that devotion, not ego, is the true “head” of worship.