Srimad Bhagavatam – day 185
Immediately upon seeing Brahma, Shiva stood up and offered obeisance. All the sages, Maharishis, siddha-gaṇās and Shiva’s attendants also stood up and offered obeisance to Lord Brahma.
Shiva’s neck was bluish in complexion. He body was glowing. With the crescent moon on His forehead, He was radiant. With a charming smile, Lord Brahma addressed the Lord who had reverentially bowed to him and said, “
Jāne tvām īśaṁ viśvasya jagato yoni-bījayoḥ
Śakteḥ śivasya ca paraṁ yat tad brahma nirantaram
O Parameśwara! You are the Lord of this entire universe. If illusory power (māya śakti) is the womb within which the world emerges, then Śiva is the seed. If illusory power is the material cause (upādāna kāraṇa) for the creation, the Śiva are the instrumental cause (nimitta kāraṇa).
Due to the union of the Nature and Self (Prakriti- Puruśa), this world emerges. For this reason, śakti and Śiva are the father and mother for this entire creation. I know You as the Supreme Lord (Parabrahma), who is above Nature and Self, who is non-dual and who is extolled greatly by the Vedas.
O Supreme Lord! O Parameshwara! You manifest as Śiva and śakti and in these forms, playfully engage in actions. The spider spins a web from its body. Thereafter it pulls back that web into itself. In the similar manner, You create this world from Your body. You sustain it and thereafter absorb it back into Yourself.
Vedas blesses the people by establishing the four-fold principles of life i.e. the Puruśārthas. In order to protect these Vedas, using Daksha as an instrument, You began the Yagna. O Lord, You are the one who protects the tenets of Dharma. Exponents in Vedas dedicatedly abide by these Vedic disciplines.
Tvaṁ karmaṇāṁ maṅgala maṅgalānāṁ
Kartuḥ sva-lokaṁ tanuṣe svaḥ paraṁ vā
Amaṅgalānāṁ ca tamisram ulbaṇaṁ
Viparyayaḥ kena tad eva kasyacit
O Lord Śiva! O bestower of auspiciousness! You are the heavenly destination for those who, for the fulfillment of their desires, adhere to the auspicious activities specified by the Vedas. You are the one who rewards them with heavenly comforts. For those who complete actions without any expectation of reward (niśkāma), You bestow liberation, the final goal of life. You are the one who punishes those who indulge in sinful inauspicious deeds, by pushing them into horrible hells.
Nevertheless, for some unknown reason, at times these results awarded are contrary to what they should be. Although Daksha began an auspicious activity due to his mistakes the result was inauspicious. The person who has surrendered to Your lotus feet, sees You as residing with every living being. Giving up feelings of differentiation he sees every living being as a form of the Self. Such evolved people do not succumb to anger like animals or like ignorant beings.
Yet, there are people who believe in duality and differentiation. Their mind is eternally focused upon performance of actions. It is not focused upon the Supreme Lord. Such persons, who have a wicked mind, can never tolerate another’s prosperity. At every moment they are tormented with jealousy. They cause distress to others by uttering harsh words which pierce the hearts of others. In the form of inauspicious results God punishes these wicked persons. One among such sinners is Daksha. O auspicious form! I pray to You, please do not cause his death.
It is impossible to cross God’s illusion (Hari māya). Those who are caught in this illusion see only duality everywhere. If due to their past destiny or due to God’s will such people commit sins, the saints who exist during that time period, out of compassion pardon them and thus shower their grace upon them. They do not show their might upon them.
O Lord! It is impossible to cross illusion created by the Supreme Lord. However this illusion does not touch you, who are omniscient. Trapped in this illusion, discriminatory intelligence depletes. As a result Daksha and other ordinary persons are eternally engrossed in performing actions. Please pardon their mistakes and bless them.
O primordial cause of this creation! O Lord Śiva! You are entitled for a share in Yagna offerings. Due to wickedness, these people conducting the Yagna did not offer to you, Your share. Due to destruction caused by You, Daksha’s yagna remains incomplete. O Lord! Please ensure that this Yagna is duly completed. After all You are the Lord who bestows the results for every Yagna. You please bring Daksha back to life and help him complete his Yagna.
O Lord, please also ensure that Bhaga Devata gets back his eyesight, Puśa Devatas gets back his teeth and that Bhrigu Maharishi gets back his beard and mustache. O Rudra! Please ensure that all injured priests and Devatas, whose limbs are broken, are healed completely”.
Haraye namah