॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Tuesday, 1 November 2022 IV.07 - Lord Shiva graciously restores Daksha and others. Yajna is completed and Bhagavan Maha Vishnu appears and gives them His instructions.
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Lord Shiva smiled and answered Brahma: "My dear Brahma, I take no offence at all at these gods who are childish and less intelligent, I punished them only to teach them a lesson.”
Saying this, Lord Shiva restored everyone appropriately and brought Daksha back to life. A sacrificial goat’s head was fixed on him and he was fully functional.
This filled all the gods and Brahmins with extreme gratitude and relief.
Daksha, thus restored, was at once purged of his ignorance and ego. He was still extremely sad that his dear daughter had given up her life at his offence. He found it difficult to speak. At last, he prayed to Lord Shiva:
दक्ष उवाच
भूयाननुग्रह अहो भवता कृतो मे दण्डस्त्वया मयि भृतो यदपि प्रलब्ध: ।
न ब्रह्मबन्धुषु च वां भगवन्नवज्ञा तुभ्यं हरेश्च कुत एव धृतव्रतेषु ॥
T: Daksha said, “ Oh, Lord, your punishing my unpardonable insult and behaviour has been your grace! Indeed, you and Lord Vishnu are kind even to mediocre namesake Brahmins. I thus know your grace to me extended because I have been performing these Yajnas!”
“Oh Lord, you first manifested from your face the Brahmins to uphold learning, austerity and self-restraint. You protect us like a cowherd takes care of cattle with a stick in his hand. Why, then, should you neglect me, who am engaged in performing sacrifices?"
"It was out of my ignorance that I spoke so insultingly to you. I am unable to express my gratitude sufficiently for your kindness, so please take my obeisance instead.”
***
After Lord Shiva’s permission, the Yajna was resumed after purifying the premises. They offered an appropriate oblation which he graciously received.
As soon as Daksha offered the clarified butter into the sacred fire with Yajur Veda mantras in sanctified meditation, Lord Vishnu appeared there in His original form as Narayana arriving on Garuda with his huge wings that were like Samaveda hymns. The Lord’s effulgence overpowered everyone.
श्यामो हिरण्यरशनोऽर्ककिरीटजुष्टो नीलालकभ्रमरमण्डितकुण्डलास्य: ।
शङ्खाब्जचक्रशरचापगदासिचर्मव्यग्रैर्हिरण्मयभुजैरिव कर्णिकार: ॥
वक्षस्यधिश्रितवधूर्वनमाल्युदार हासावलोककलया रमयंश्च विश्वम् ।
पार्श्वभ्रमद्वयजनचामरराजहंस: श्वेतातपत्रशशिनोपरि रज्यमान: ॥
T: Dark-complexioned, the Lord was wearing a golden garment, a dazzling diadem crown, sported dark hair like a cluster of bees, wearing earrings that shone. His eight hands held Shankha, Chakra, Gada, Padma, Sharnga bow and arrow, shield and Nandaki sword. The weapons were ornamented with jewels. Lord Vishnu looked like a magnificent tree in bloom.
Lord Vishnu looked extraordinarily beautiful, with the goddess Lakshmi adorning His chest, a garland of forest flowers round His neck. His captivating smile encompassed all creation and showered grace on His devotees. There was a silver white canopy aloft over His head, and white fans like swans fanned Him on either side.
Everybody, including Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, the Gandharvas and all present there — immediately offered their respectful obeisances by falling down straight before Him. Awestruck, everyone offered a silent prayer to the Lord known as Adhokshaja (whose eyes look downward in utter beatitude). His vision, and the opportunity for all to offer their prayers, was entirely by His grace.
After offering Him the principal oblations of the Yajna, everyone, starting with Daksha, spoke their prayers.
“Lord, You are the Supreme Being, beyond fear and defect. With or without form, You are complete in Yourself.”
“Oh, Lord, by Lord Shiva’s attendants’ curse, we have become attached to fruitive activities. We are thus fallen and know not about You. But we know You alone have apportioned the Yajna offerings that we make to the gods.”
सदस्या ऊचु:
उत्पत्त्यध्वन्यशरण उरुक्लेशदुर्गेऽन्तकोग्र व्यालान्विष्टे विषयमृगतृष्यात्मगेहोरुभार: ।
द्वन्द्वश्वभ्रे खलमृगभये शोकदावेऽज्ञसार्थ: पादौकस्ते शरणद कदा याति कामोपसृष्ट: ॥
T: Those assembled spoke: “Oh, Lord, You alone are our succour in our bound existence.
Time or Kala is like a serpent poised to strike at any time. The world is full of pitfalls of sorrow and pleasure, with ferocious animals of prey ready to pounce. It is filled with the blaze of suffering and the mirage of pleasure. Foolish men busy with so-called duties covet one life after another, not knowing that escape can come only by surrendering to You.”
रुद्र उवाच
तव वरद वराङ्घ्रावाशिषेहाखिलार्थे ह्यपि मुनिभिरसक्तैरादरेणार्हणीये ।
यदि रचितधियं माविद्यलोकोऽपविद्धं जपति न गणये तत्त्वत्परानुग्रहेण ॥
T: Lord Shiva said: "My dear Lord, my mind and consciousness are always fixed on Your lotus feet, the source of all benediction and the fulfilment, worshipped by all the liberated, great sages. With my mind fixed on Your lotus feet, I am no longer disturbed by persons who blaspheme me, faulting me for defects in ritual performances per established customs. I simply forgive them, just as You shower compassion on all.”
Others said: “ “Oh, Lord, from Brahma down to an ant, no one can escape Your Maya. Thus everyone is body-identified and in darkness. No one understands that You are the Paramatma, indweller in all. Your compassion upon the devotees, whose eternal friend and protector You are, is not understood. Please, therefore, forgive our transgressions.”
“Oh, Lord, no one understands that You are far beyond the grasp of the intellect or empirical deduction! Your eight hands protect the entire universe against miscreants! Oh, Lord, the Yajna venue was devastated by the anger of Lord Shiva, but now, by Your grace, all is restored.”
ऋषय ऊचु:
अनन्वितं ते भगवन् विचेष्टितं यदात्मना चरसि हि कर्म नाज्यसे ।
विभूतये यत उपसेदुरीश्वरीं न मन्यते स्वयमनुवर्ततीं भवान् ॥
सिद्धा ऊचु:
अयं त्वत्कथामृष्टपीयूषनद्यां मनोवारण: क्लेशदावाग्निदग्ध: ।
तृषार्तोऽवगाढो न सस्मार दावं न निष्क्रामति ब्रह्मसम्पन्नवन्न: ॥
T: The sages prayed, “ Dear Lord, we marvel at how You accomplish everything solely by Your potencies, but remain totally unattached, even to Sri Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune,who is worshipped for her mercy by all, Brahma downwards.”
The Siddhas prayed: “ Oh, Lord, elephants caught in a forest fire are most grateful when they find a cold river and immerse themselves therein and obtain relief. Likewise, our minds hanker for immersing in Your divine pastimes which offers the same bliss as merging into Brahman.”
“Oh, Lord, we know how You assumed the divine incarnation of Varaha, the great boar, and lifted up the earth like an elephant lifts up a lotus in a lake! Your roar then was the most sacred hymn, the subject of meditation by the great sages like Sanaka. We pray to You, therefore, to be pleased with us. Simply by chanting Your holy name, one can surpass all obstacles. We offer our respectful obeisances to You!”
Accepting their prayers and Yajna offerings, Lord Vishnu now addressed Daksha.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अहं ब्रह्मा च शर्वश्च जगत: कारणं परम् । आत्मेश्वर उपद्रष्टा स्वयंदृगविशेषण: ॥
आत्ममायां समाविश्य सोऽहं गुणमयीं द्विज । सृजन् रक्षन् हरन् विश्वं दध्रे संज्ञां क्रियोचिताम् ॥
त्रयाणामेकभावानां यो न पश्यति वै भिदाम् । सर्वभूतात्मनां ब्रह्मन् स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥
T: “ Daksha, I, Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva are together the supreme cause of creation, the Paramatma, self-sufficient witness of all. Thus there is no difference between Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Me. I am the original Supreme Being who, in order to create, sustain and dissolve this universe, took these separate forms. One who differentiates between us or thinks living entities are all different from Me knows not.”
“One who does not consider Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva or the living entities in general to be separate from the Supreme Being, and who knows Brahman, actually realises beatitude. Not others.”
The time had come for Daksha to realise the Truth. He completed the Yajna well, offering oblations duly to all. Lord Vishnu, and all other gods, blessed him to develop true Bhakti, and left.
***
Maitreya narrates how Dakshayani Sati was again incarnated as Uma, the daughter of Mena Devi and Himavan, and was singularly devoted to attaining Lord Shiva. Ambika after many austerities was finally reunited with her Lord, Bhagavan Shiva.
This story was heard by Maitreya from Uddhava who learnt it from Brihaspati. Maitreya concludes that anyone blessed to hear this story of Daksha Yajna and Lord Shiva is sure to be blessed to overcome the bondage of existence.
