Shloka 61
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
तमुवाचाग्जलिं कृत्वा दक्षो देवं प्रजापति: । भीतशड्कितवित्रस्त: सबाष्पवदनेक्षण:,उस समय देवगुरु बृहस्पतिने महादेवजीको वेदका मखाध्याय पढ़कर सुनाया। तत्पश्चात् प्रजापति दक्ष दोनों नेत्रोंसे आँसुओंकी धारा बहाते हुए हाथ जोड़कर भय और शंकासे सहमे हुए-से बोले--“भगवन्! यदि आप मुझपर प्रसन्न हैं, यदि मैं आपका प्रिय हूँ, आपके अनुग्रहका पात्र हूँ अथवा यदि आप मुझे वर देनेको उद्यत हैं तो मैं यही वर माँगता हूँ कि मैंने दीर्घकालसे महान् प्रयत्न करके जो ऐसा यज्ञ-सम्भार जुटा रखा था, उसमेंसे जो चला दिया गया, खा-पी लिया गया, नष्ट किया गया अथवा चूर-चूर करके फेंक दिया गया, वह सब मेरे लिये व्यर्थ न हो”
tam uvāca añjaliṃ kṛtvā dakṣo devaṃ prajāpatiḥ | bhītaśaṅkitavitrastaḥ sabāṣpavadane kṣaṇaḥ ||
With palms joined in reverence, Dakṣa—the divine Prajāpati—addressed the god. Overcome by fear, suspicion, and trembling, his face and eyes filled with tears. In the ethical frame of the episode, the proud sacrificer is brought to humility: he approaches not with entitlement but with supplication, acknowledging divine authority and seeking that his long-prepared sacrificial undertaking not be rendered futile despite the devastation that has occurred.
वीरभद्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical movement from pride in ritual achievement to humility before divine order: when one’s actions lead to disorder, the proper response is reverent submission, repentance, and seeking restoration rather than insisting on status or entitlement.
Dakṣa, shaken and tearful, folds his hands and addresses the deity after the sacrificial enterprise has been disrupted. The scene marks a turning point where the sacrificer, previously confident, now pleads for grace so that his long-prepared sacrifice may not become wholly fruitless.