Canto
4
Chapter 2: Daksha Curses Lord S'iva
(1) Vidura said: 'Why did Daksha exhibit enmity towards Lord S'iva, the best among the gentle, neglecting his own daughter Satî while he cared so much about her? (2) How could he hate him who is the spiritual master of the whole world and who, with a peaceful personality and satisfied without enmity within, is the greatest demigod of the universe? (3) Tell me therefore, o brahmin, the reason because of which the father- and son-in-law quarreled and because of which Satî gave up the life that is impossible to give up.'
(4) Maitreya said: 'Formerly, were the leaders, great sages and immortal ones of the creation along with their followers and the philosophers assembled at a sacrifice. (5) Entering that great assembly there made the sages see him [Daksha], free from darkness as he was, as shining with a luster like that of the sun. (6) They, the members of the assembly along with the ones of the fire, who were impressed by his luster all, except for Lord Brahmâ and Lord S'iva, stood up from their seats. (7) Daksha, the one of all opulence, who was properly welcomed by the leaders of the assembly, made his obeisances towards the unborn one, the master of the world, and sat down upon his order. (8) Before the seated Lord S'iva, who showed no respect for him, he felt offended though and losing his temper he spoke to him with an angry look in his eyes. (9) 'Listen to me, o wise among the brahmins, o godly ones, o fire-gods, how I speak to you about the manners of the gentle ones, and this I do not out of ignorance or jealousy. (10) He, who belongs to the rulers of the universe, has, lacking in manners, shamefully polluted and spoilt the fame of the ones following the path of the gentle ones. (11) He has accepted to be of a lower position, acting like an honest man in taking the hand of my daughter, in the presence of fire and brahmins. (12) Taking the hand of her who has eyes like that of a deer cub, he has himself the eyes of a monkey, not welcoming me, who is worthy of such a reception, with the honor of standing up from his seat. (13) With no respect for the rules and regulations, he, impure and proud, has broken with the code of civility; although I didn't want to, have I handed over my daughter as if the message of the Vedas would be given to a s'ûdra. (14-15) Accompanied by ghosts and demons he wanders around at the burial places where corpses are burnt, laughing and crying like a madman, with scattered hair smearing himself with the ashes of the funeral pyre. He has a garland of skulls and is ornamented with dead man's bones; only in name he is S'iva or auspicious. He is in fact inauspicious, crazy and dear to the crazy, their leader and Lord, engrossed in the mode of ignorance. (16) To him, the Lord of Ghosts, void of all cleanliness, with his heart so far off, I alas, as the supreme teacher did request, have given Satî.'
(17) Maitreya said: 'Thus abusing S'iva who remained without hostility, Daksha angry, next washed his hands and mouth with water and began to curse:(18) 'The portion of the sacrifice to the gods that the demigods have along with Indra, Upendra [the younger brother of Indra] and others, is not for the lowest of the demigods to get.' (19) Though asked by the members of the assembly not to, did he, Daksha, having cursed S'iva, leave from there going home, o Vidura, as he had grown very angry. (20) Understanding that Lord S'iva had been cursed, one of his principal associates Nandis'vara, turned red and blind with anger and he harshly cursed Daksha and the brahmins who had allowed the cursing to happen.
(21) 'May he who in reference to the physique of this one, the non-envious Lord S'iva, bears envy and thus is stupefied by a dual vision, lose all his grip on reality. (22) He who is attracted to the householders life of pretentious religiosity and performs by the explanations of the Vedas in a desire for material happiness and fruitive action, will see his intelligence lost. (23) Let him who with the intelligence of accepting the body as the self has forgotten the knowledge of Vishnu and as an animal is attached to sex-life, that excessive Daksha, soon have the head of a goat. (24) May those who follow Daksha in his insults and who in the nescience of their fruitive actions grew dull in their materialistic education and intelligence, time and again end up here in the ocean of material suffering. (25) Let those who are so envious with Lord S'iva and whose minds have grown slow of the enchanting flowery words of the Vedas so profuse with the scent of honey, remain attached. (26) Let those brahmins, who have taken to education, austerity and vows in order to have money and to satisfy their physical senses, wander here as beggars from door to door, eating whatever!'
(27) Hearing the words of his curse thus against the class of the twiceborn, pronounced in response Bhrigu an insurmountable curse in line with the brahminical way of chastising: (28) 'May anyone who takes a vow to please Lord S'iva and follows such principles, become an atheist straying away from the scriptural injunctions. (29) Let them, who have abandoned cleanliness, foolishly having their hairs long, wearing bones and covered in ashes, embark on the lead of S'iva from which one has the spiritual of finding relief in intoxication. (30) Since you in truth blaspheme the brahmins and the allegiance to the Vedas, you have therefore taken shelter of the weakness of atheism. (31) In the Vedas, that are for sure the auspicious eternal path of all people and which in the past have always been rigidly followed, one finds the evidence of Janârdana [the Lord as the well-wisher of all]. (32) Blaspheming that supreme and pure spirit, which is the eternal path of the truthful, you are to end up in atheism where you have your deity, the Lord of matter and the dead [S'iva as Bhûtapati]!'
(33) Maitreya said: 'Thus being spoken of in the curse of Bhrigu, did S'iva, the Supreme One, somewhat downcast, leave from there with his followers. (34) Of that, are even the fathers of mankind for thousands of years in worship, o great master, as that is how the Supreme Personality, the leader of all the wise, should be respected. (35) Purifying their hearts, taking their ceremonial concluding bath where the Ganges meets with the Yamunâ, they all left from there heading for their own places.
Second edition, loaded August 26, 2006.
Source texts:
Daksha curses Lord S'iva
Vidura said: 'Why did Daksha exhibit enmity towards Lord S'iva, the best among the gentle, neglecting his own daughter Satî while he cared so much about her?Vidura inquired: Why was Daksha, who was so affectionate towards his daughter, envious of Lord S'iva, who is the best among the gentle? Why did he neglect his daughter Satî? (Vedabase)
How could he hate him who is the spiritual master of the whole world and who, with a peaceful personality and satisfied without enmity within, is the greatest demigod of the universe?
Lord S'iva, the spiritual master of the entire world, is free from enmity, is a peaceful personality, and is always satisfied in himself. He is the greatest among the demigods. How is it possible that Daksha could be inimical towards such an auspicious personality? (Vedabase)
Tell me therefore, o brahmin, the reason because of which the father- and son-in-law quarreled and because of which Satî gave up the life that is impossible to give up.'
My dear Maitreya, to part with one's life is very difficult. Would you kindly explain to me how such a son-in-law and father-in-law could quarrel so bitterly that the great goddess Satî could give up her life? (Vedabase)
Maitreya said: 'Formerly, were the leaders, great sages and immortal ones of the creation along with their followers and the philosophers assembled at a sacrifice.
The sage Maitreya said: In a former time, the leaders of the universal creation performed a great sacrifice in which all the great sages, philosophers, demigods and fire-gods assembled with their followers. (Vedabase)
Entering that great assembly there made the sages see him [Daksha], free from darkness as he was, as shining with a luster like that of the sun.
When Daksha, the leader of the Prajâpatis, entered that assembly, his personal bodily luster as bright as the effulgence of the sun, the entire assembly was illuminated, and all the assembled personalities became insignificant in his presence. (Vedabase)
They, the members of the assembly along with the ones of the fire, who were impressed by his luster all, except for Lord Brahmâ and Lord S'iva, stood up from their seats.
Influenced by his personal bodily luster, all the fire-gods and other participants in that great assembly, with the exceptions of Lord Brahmâ and Lord S'iva, gave up their own sitting places and stood in respect for Daksha. (Vedabase)
Daksha, the one of all opulence, who was properly welcomed by the leaders of the assembly, made his obeisances towards the unborn one, the master of the world, and sat down upon his order.
Daksha was adequately welcomed by the president of the great assembly, Lord Brahmâ. After offering Lord Brahmâ respect, Daksha, by the order of Brahmâ, properly took his seat. (Vedabase)
Before the seated Lord S'iva, who showed no respect for him, he felt offended though and losing his temper he spoke to him with an angry look in his eyes.
Before taking his seat, however, Daksha was very much offended to see Lord S'iva sitting and not showing him any respect. At that time, Daksha became greatly angry, and, his eyes glowing, he began to speak very strongly against Lord S'iva. (Vedabase)
Listen to me, o wise among the brahmins, o godly ones, o fire-gods, how I speak to you about the manners of the gentle ones, and this I do not out of ignorance or jealousy.
All sages, brâhmanas and fire-gods present, please hear me with attention, for I speak about the manners of gentle persons. I do not speak out of ignorance or envy. (Vedabase)
He, who belongs to the rulers of the universe, has, lacking in manners, shamefully polluted and spoilt the fame of the ones following the path of the gentle ones.
S'iva has spoiled the name and fame of the governors of the universe and has polluted the path of gentle manners. Because he is shameless, he does not know how to act. (Vedabase)
He has accepted to be of a lower position, acting like an honest man in taking the hand of my daughter, in the presence of fire and brahmins.
He has already accepted himself as my subordinate by marrying my daughter in the presence of fire and brâhmanas. He has married my daughter, who is equal to Gâyatrî, and has pretended to be just like an honest person. (Vedabase)
Taking the hand of her who has eyes like that of a deer cub, he has himself the eyes of a monkey, not welcoming me, who is worthy of such a reception, with the honor of standing up from his seat.
He has eyes like a monkey's, yet he has married my daughter, whose eyes are just like those of a deer cub. Nevertheless he did not stand up to receive me, nor did he think it fit to welcome me with sweet words. (Vedabase)
With no respect for the rules and regulations, he, impure and proud, has broken with the code of civility; although I didn't want to, have I handed over my daughter as if the message of the Vedas would be given to a s'ûdra.
I had no desire to give my daughter to this person, who has broken all rules of civility. Because of not observing the required rules and regulations, he is impure, but I was obliged to hand over my daughter to him just as one teaches the messages of the Vedas to a s'ûdra. (Vedabase)
Accompanied by ghosts and demons he wanders around at the burial places where corpses are burnt, laughing and crying like a madman, with scattered hair smearing himself with the ashes of the funeral pyre. He has a garland of skulls and is ornamented with dead man's bones; only in name he is S'iva or auspicious. He is in fact inauspicious, crazy and dear to the crazy, their leader and Lord, engrossed in the mode of ignorance.
He lives in filthy places like crematoriums, and his companions are the ghosts and demons. Naked like a madman, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying, he smears crematorium ashes all over his body. He does not bathe regularly, and he ornaments his body with a garland of skulls and bones. Therefore only in name is he S'iva, or auspicious; actually, he is the most mad and inauspicious creature. Thus he is very dear to crazy beings in the gross mode of ignorance, and he is their leader. (Vedabase)
To him, the Lord of Ghosts, void of all cleanliness, with his heart so far off, I alas, as the supreme teacher did request, have given Satî.'
On the request of Lord Brahmâ I handed over my chaste daughter to him, although he is devoid of all cleanliness and his heart is filled with nasty things. (Vedabase)
Maitreya said: 'Thus abusing S'iva who remained without hostility, Daksha angry, next washed his hands and mouth with water and began to curse:
The sage Maitreya continued: Thus Daksha, seeing Lord S'iva sitting as if against him, washed his hands and mouth and cursed him in the following words. (Vedabase)Text 18:
'The portion of the sacrifice to the Gods that the demigods have along with Indra, Upendra [the younger brother of Indra] and others, is not for the lowest of the demigods to get.'
The demigods are eligible to share in the oblations of sacrifice, but Lord S'iva, who is the lowest of all the demigods, should not have a share. (Vedabase)
Though asked by the members of the assembly not to, did he, Daksha, having cursed S'iva, leave from there going home, o Vidura, as he had grown very angry.
Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, in spite of the requests of all the members of the sacrificial assembly, Daksha, in great anger, cursed Lord S'iva and then left the assembly and went back to his home. (Vedabase)
Understanding that Lord S'iva had been cursed, one of his principal associates Nandis'vara, turned red and blind with anger and he harshly cursed Daksha and the brahmins who had allowed the cursing to happen.
Upon understanding that Lord S'iva had been cursed, Nandis'vara, one of Lord S'iva's principal associates, became greatly angry. His eyes became red, and he prepared to curse Daksha and all the brâhmanas present there who had tolerated Daksha's cursing S'iva in harsh words. (Vedabase)
'May he who in reference to the physique of this one, the non-envious Lord S'iva, bears envy and thus is stupefied by a dual vision, lose all his grip on reality.
Anyone who has accepted Daksha as the most important personality and neglected Lord S'iva because of envy is less intelligent and, because of visualizing in duality, will be bereft of transcendental knowledge. (Vedabase)He who is attracted to the householders life of pretentious religiosity and performs by the explanations of the Vedas in a desire for material happiness and fruitive action, will see his intelligence lost.
Pretentiously religious householder life, in which one is attracted to material happiness and thus also attracted to the superficial explanation of the Vedas, robs one of all intelligence and attaches one to fruitive activities as all in all. (Vedabase)
Let him who with the intelligence of accepting the body as the self has forgotten the knowledge of Vishnu and as an animal is attached to sex-life, that excessive Daksha, soon have the head of a goat.
Daksha has accepted the body as all in all. Therefore, since he has forgotten the vishnu-pâda, or vishnu-gati, and is attached to sex life only, within a short time he will have the face of a goat. (Vedabase)
May those who follow Daksha in his insults and who in the nescience of their fruitive actions grew dull in their materialistic education and intelligence, time and again end up here in the ocean of material suffering.
Those who have become as dull as matter by cultivating materialistic education and intelligence are nesciently involved in fruitive activities. Such men have purposely insulted Lord S'iva. May they continue in the cycle of repeated birth and death. (Vedabase)
Let those who are so envious with Lord S'iva and whose minds have grown slow of the enchanting flowery words of the Vedas so profuse with the scent of honey, remain attached.
May those who are envious of Lord S'iva, being attracted by the flowery language of the enchanting Vedic promises, and who have thus become dull, always remain attached to fruitive activities. (Vedabase)
Let those brahmins, who have taken to education, austerity and vows in order to have money and to satisfy their physical senses, wander here as beggars from door to door, eating whatever!'
These brâhmanas take to education, austerity and vows only for the purpose of maintaining the body. They shall be devoid of discrimination between what to eat and what not to eat. They will acquire money, begging from door to door, simply for the satisfaction of the body. (Vedabase)
Hearing the words of his curse thus against the class of the twiceborn, pronounced in response Bhrigu an insurmountable curse in line with the brahminical way of chastising:
When all the hereditary brâhmanas were thus cursed by Nandis'vara, the sage Bhrigu, as a reaction, condemned the followers of Lord S'iva with this very strong brahminical curse. (Vedabase)
'May anyone who takes a vow to please Lord S'iva and follows such principles, become an atheist straying away from the scriptural injunctions.
One who takes a vow to satisfy Lord S'iva or who follows such principles will certainly become an atheist and be diverted from transcendental scriptural injunctions. (Vedabase)
Let them, who have abandoned cleanliness, foolishly having their hairs long, wearing bones and covered in ashes, embark on the lead of S'iva from which one has the spiritual of finding relief in intoxication.
Those who vow to worship Lord S'iva are so foolish that they imitate him by keeping long hair on their heads. When initiated into worship of Lord S'iva, they prefer to live on wine, flesh and other such things. (Vedabase)
Since you in truth blaspheme the brahmins and the allegiance to the Vedas, you have therefore taken shelter of the weakness of atheism.
Bhrigu Muni continued: Since you blaspheme the Vedas and the brâhmanas, who are followers of the Vedic principles, it is understood that you have already taken shelter of the doctrine of atheism. (Vedabase)
In the Vedas, that are for sure the auspicious eternal path of all people and which in the past have always been rigidly followed, one finds the evidence of Janârdana [the Lord as the well-wisher of all].
The Vedas give the eternal regulative principles for auspicious advancement in human civilization which have been rigidly followed in the past. The strong evidence of this principle is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is called Janârdana, the well-wisher of all living entities. (Vedabase)
Blaspheming that supreme and pure spirit, which is the eternal path of the truthful, you are to end up in atheism where you have your deity, the Lord of matter and the dead [S'iva as Bhûtapati]!'
By blaspheming the principles of the Vedas, which are the pure and supreme path of the saintly persons, certainly you followers of Bhûtapati, Lord S'iva, will descend to the standard of atheism without a doubt. (Vedabase)
Maitreya said: 'Thus being spoken of in the curse of Bhrigu, did S'iva, the Supreme One, somewhat downcast, leave from there with his followers.
The sage Maitreya said: When such cursing and countercursing was going on between Lord S'iva's followers and the parties of Daksha and Bhrigu, Lord S'iva became very morose. Not saying anything, he left the arena of the sacrifice, followed by his disciples. (Vedabase)
Of that, are even the fathers of mankind for thousands of years in worship, as that is how the Supreme Personality, the leader of all the wise, should be respected.
The sage Maitreya continued: O Vidura, all the progenitors of the universal population thus executed a sacrifice for thousands of years, for sacrifice is the best way to worship the Supreme Lord, Hari, the Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)
Purifying their hearts, taking their ceremonial concluding bath where the Ganges meets with the Yamunâ, they all left from there heading for their own places.
My dear Vidura, carrier of bows and arrows, all the demigods who were performing the sacrifice took their bath at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunâ after completing the yajña performance. Such a bath is called avabhritha-snâna. After thus becoming purified in heart, they departed for their respective abodes. (Vedabase)
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has been used with an extensive commentary.
ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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