Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 18
दक्षयज्ञदर्शनम् — The Vision of Dakṣa’s Great Sacrifice
and the Onset of Vīrabhadra’s Terror
इत्युक्तास्ते गणेंद्रेण देवा दक्षपुरोगमाः । ऊचुर्मन्त्राः प्रमाणं नो न वयं प्रभवस्त्विति
ityuktāste gaṇeṃdreṇa devā dakṣapurogamāḥ | ūcurmantrāḥ pramāṇaṃ no na vayaṃ prabhavastviti
Assim interpelados por Gaṇeśa, os deuses—tendo Dakṣa à frente—responderam: “Para nós, os mantras são a autoridade; nós mesmos não temos competência para decidir além deles.”
The gods led by Daksha
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: The devas, led by Dakṣa, defend their exclusion of Śiva by appealing to ‘mantra’ as the sole authority—an instance of ritual formalism that, in the narrative, masks delusion (moha) and becomes bondage.
Significance: Highlights the need to read mantra through right understanding of the supreme Devatā; otherwise ‘mantra’ is reduced to mere instrumentality.
Type: rudram
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It emphasizes pramāṇa (valid spiritual authority): even the devas submit their opinions to mantra and śāstra, implying that liberation-oriented dharma must align with revealed guidance rather than ego or mere power.
Linga and Saguna-Śiva worship in the Shiva Purana is repeatedly grounded in mantra-vidhi. Here the devas affirm that correct worship and decision-making must be measured by mantra-pramāṇa, not by personal preference.
Follow mantra-based practice: japa of Shaiva mantras (especially the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with scripturally aligned observances such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and disciplined worship performed according to mantra-vidhi.