Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 9
मनु-शतरूपा-प्रसूतिः तथा दक्षकन्याविवाहाः
Manu–Śatarūpā, Prasūti, and the Marriages of Dakṣa’s Daughters
चतस्रो विंशतिः कन्या दक्षस्त्वजनयत्प्रभुः । श्रद्धा लक्ष्मीर्धृतिः पुष्टिस्तुष्टिर्मेधा क्रिया तथा । बुद्धिर्लज्जा वपुः शांतिस्सिद्धिः कीर्तिस्त्रयोदशी
catasro viṃśatiḥ kanyā dakṣastvajanayatprabhuḥ | śraddhā lakṣmīrdhṛtiḥ puṣṭistuṣṭirmedhā kriyā tathā | buddhirlajjā vapuḥ śāṃtissiddhiḥ kīrtistrayodaśī
प्रभू दक्षाने चोवीस कन्या उत्पन्न केल्या—श्रद्धा, लक्ष्मी, धृती, पुष्टी, तुष्टी, मेधा, क्रिया; तसेच बुद्धी, लज्जा, वपु, शांती, सिद्धी आणि कीर्ती—या येथे तेरा नामांकित आहेत।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: nurturing
Cosmic Event: emanation of dharma-guṇa personifications as supports of social-cosmic stability
FAQs
By listing Dakṣa’s daughters as personified virtues (faith, peace, discernment, contentment, etc.), the text presents inner qualities that sustain dharma; in a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such purification of the pashu (individual soul) prepares it for Shiva’s grace (pati-anugraha) and steady progress toward moksha.
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is sustained by śraddhā (faith), kriyā (right ritual action), buddhi (discernment), and śānti (inner peace); this verse names those very supports, implying that outer worship becomes fruitful when these inner virtues are cultivated.
A practical takeaway is to pair daily Shiva-puja with cultivation of these virtues—japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) for śraddhā and śānti, and disciplined kriyā such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha observances to stabilize dhṛti (steadfastness).