Daksha Yajña Vidhvaṃsana

The Kūrma Purāṇa tells how Daksha held a great yajña (fire ritual) at Gaṅgādvāra and left out Bhagavān Śiva. The ṛshi Dadhīca spoke for Śiva and gave a śāpa (a curse). Bhagavān Śiva made Vīrabhadra, and Vīrabhadra and Bhadrakālī broke the yajña. Then Śiva came himself and forgave Daksha. Brahmā ended by teaching that Bhagavān Vishṇu and Bhagavān Śiva are not different.

Background: Satī’s death in the earlier birth

In the birth before this account, Daksha held a yajña and did not invite Śiva. Satī was Śiva’s wife and Daksha’s own daughter. She insisted on going. Śiva warned her, but she went. Daksha insulted Śiva. He called him a destroyer of tamas nature, a bearer of skulls, a naked wanderer, unfit for a share in the yajña (yajña-bhāga).

Satī could not bear this insult to her husband. She burned herself in the yajña fire. By the tapas of Himavān she was born again as Pārvatī. Śiva was angry and gave Daksha a śāpa: he would be born again as a kshatriya and would have a son through his own daughter.

Daksha is born again as Prācetasa

Under Śiva’s śāpa, Daksha was born again as Prācetasa, son of Prācetas. In this new birth he kept his old hatred of Śaṅkara. He held a great yajña at Gaṅgādvāra. All the devas came, with Vishṇu, Indra and all the ṛshis. But Daksha left out Śiva on purpose.

Dadhīca speaks for Śiva

The great ṛshi Dadhīca saw that Śiva was not in the assembly. He asked Daksha: “Why is Rudra, the Parameśvara, at whose command all beings from Brahmā down to the piśācas act, not worshipped here by the rule of the śāstra?”

Daksha answered that Śiva had no wife and was accompanied by kshetra, and so was not owed a share in the yajña.

Dadhīca was filled with righteous anger. He said: “The Parameśvara who gives life to this whole world, who is Time itself (Kāla-svarūpa): how is it that the wise do not worship him in every yajña? This very Rudra is Mahādeva, the merciful Hara, Āditya himself, Sūrya, Nīlalohita.”

He rebuked Daksha, the devas and all who backed the exclusion. Daksha would not give way. So Dadhīca gave a śāpa to the whole assembly. All who had driven Parameśvara away from this yajña would be born in Kali Yuga as enemies of the path of the Veda.

When he had spoken the śāpa, Dadhīca, a store of tapas, gave himself to Rudra in his mind and left the assembly.

Devī’s request and Śiva’s answer

The Mahādevī (Pārvatī, who had been Satī) knew fully that Maheśvara is Paśupati, the highest deva. She said to him: “O Śaṅkara, in my earlier life my father Daksha shamed your greatness and insulted me. The devas and the mahārshis took his side. Destroy that yajña quickly. This is the vara (boon) I ask.”

At this prayer Parameśvara made from his own matted hair (jaṭā) a terrible Rudra, Vīrabhadra. He had a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand arms. He blazed like the fire at the end of the age (pralayakāla-agni). He carried a conch, a cakra (discus) and a staff.

Vīrabhadra and Bhadrakālī

Śiva ordered Vīrabhadra: “Go and destroy Daksha’s yajña.”

At the same moment Bhadrakālī, the Maheśvarī, was born from Umā herself, blazing with anger. She went with the army of gaṇas. Vīrabhadra also made thousands of other Rudras from the hairs of his body (Romajā Rudras) to help him. All of them mounted their bulls (vṛshabhas) and went to Gaṅgādvāra, where Daksha’s yajña was going on.

The battle

Vīrabhadra and his forces came to the shining yajña hall. Vīrabhadra called out and demanded the share of the yajña that was Śiva’s by right. The devas and the yajña mantras themselves could give no authority for leaving Śiva out. So Vīrabhadra said: “You have not accepted the proof of the mantras. For this pride I will now destroy you by force.”

This is what happened.

• Vīrabhadra burned the whole yajña hall with a torch.
• The other leaders of the gaṇas pulled up the yūpa posts and hurled them.
• The yajña horse was thrown into the Gaṅgā.
• Indra’s raised hand was made stiff.
• Bhaga’s eyes were torn out.
• Pūshā’s teeth were knocked out with a fist.
• Candra was kicked by Vīrabhadra’s foot.
• Agni’s two hands were cut off and his tongue pulled out.
• The ṛshis in the assembly were struck on the head with Vīrabhadra’s feet.

Vishṇu came with Garuḍa to step in. Vīrabhadra’s power held Vishṇu’s Sudarśana Cakra still. Garuḍa struck the army of gaṇas with his wings. Rudra then made thousands of Garuḍas, stronger than Vainateya himself, and drove Garuḍa to flight. Garuḍa fled, and Vishṇu was left without his mount.

Brahmā ends the battle

Brahmā came and ended the fight. His presence and authority calmed both Vīrabhadra and Vishṇu. Then Bhagavān Śaṃbhu came himself to the yajña ground. Brahmā, Daksha and all the devas saw Maheśvara with his half-body Pārvatī, and they praised him. Daksha bowed to the ground with many stotras (hymns of praise) and folded hands.

Devī was moved by pity. She said to Śiva: “You are the maker, protector and ruler of this world. Daksha and the devas deserve your grace.”

Śiva, wearing his matted hair, smiled and said to the devas: “Go now. I am pleased. All yajñas should worship me. In this yajña I was dishonoured, but I do not deserve to be specially cursed. Daksha, give up your craving for power. Become my bhakta (devotee). At the end of this kalpa, by my grace, you will become a Gaṇādhipati (a leader of the gaṇas).”

Brahmā’s teaching on Śiva and Vishṇu

After Śiva left, Brahmā spoke to Daksha. He gave the highest teaching, the reason for all that had happened.

“Vṛshabhadhvaja Śaṅkara is the Parameśvara. This Maheśvara lives in the hearts of all living beings. Whoever worships Vishṇu but sees him as different from Śiva goes to naraka (hell), through delusion and lack of faith in the Veda. Those who follow the path of the Veda see the deva Śiva and Nārāyaṇa with abheda-bhāva, a sense that they are not different. They reach moksha. He who is Vishṇu is himself Rudra. He who is Śiva is himself Janārdana Vishṇu. A person who holds this understanding and serves that Deva reaches the highest goal (gati). Vishṇu makes this world. Īśvara protects it. So this whole world has come forth from Śiva and Nārāyaṇa together.”

Daksha is set free

Daksha accepted Brahmā’s words and gave himself to Śiva, the Pāśupata, the Īśvara-deva clad in hide.

The other ṛshis had been burned by Dadhīca’s śāpa. They were born in Kali Yuga with minds clouded by tamas and with their tapas lost. After long suffering in naraka they would come at last to Brahmā and be freed. At the end of the kalpa they would win back their old splendour, through Śiva’s grace (anugraha) and their worship of Īśāna.

Sources

• Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa, Poorvardha, Chapters 14–15