Shloka 50
संध्याचरित्रवर्णनम् (Sandhyā-caritra-varṇanam) — “Narration of Sandhyā’s Austerity and Encounter with Śiva”
स च मेधातिथिर्यज्ञे मुने द्वादशवार्षिके । कृत्स्नप्रज्वलिते वह्नावचिरात् क्रियतां त्वया
sa ca medhātithiryajñe mune dvādaśavārṣike | kṛtsnaprajvalite vahnāvacirāt kriyatāṃ tvayā
اے مُنی، اس بارہ سالہ یَجْن میں، ہر طرف بھڑکتی ہوئی یَجْن آگ میں میدھاتِتھی کو بھی تم فوراً آہوتی کر دو۔
Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating the Satī-Khaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Narrative locates a twelve-year mahāyajña of the sage Medhātithi; the ‘offering into fire’ motif sets the stage for Satī’s fire-birth episode rather than a Jyotirliṅga origin.
Type: rudram
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse highlights the grave, time-bound compulsion of ritual action within a yajña, showing how worldly rites can become instruments of coercion—contrasted in Shaiva Siddhānta by the higher refuge of devotion to Pati (Śiva), who alone grants true liberation beyond ritual pressure.
Although the verse is framed in a Vedic-sacrificial setting, the Satī-Khaṇḍa narrative overall critiques prideful ritualism divorced from reverence to Śiva; it implicitly points toward Saguna Śiva worship (including Liṅga-pūjā) as the purifying, grace-centered path rather than mere fire-rites.
Directly, it refers to yajña procedure (offering into Agni). As a Shaiva takeaway, it suggests aligning ritual with dharma and devotion—supporting practices like japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and disciplined worship rather than harsh, ego-driven rites.