In the previous part, we saw about Tripura Samharam as described in Thiruppugazh. In this part we shall see about another heroic act of Lord Shiva – Daksha Yagna Destruction.
To carry out the creation of Humans, Lord Brahma – the creator, made Prajapatis to carry out the task. Daksha was one such Prajapati.
He awaited so long to be blessed with a child. He meditated on The Supreme Mother, upon Brahma’s advice. One day, while taking bath in the river Yamuna, he found a small girl child on a lotus. The girl was none other than Goddess Parvati. Daksha brought her up as his own daughter. She was named Sati. She was also known as Daakshaayani or the daughter of Daksha.
Sati grew up as an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. She was constantly meditating on Him. She made up her mind to marry no one else other than Lord Shiva himself. Daksha was not happy with her decision. He tried persuading Sati, but it all went in vain. Sati married Lord Shiva and went to Kailash. Animosity grew between Daksha and Lord Shiva. Once, Daksha performed a grand Yagna, where he invited everyone except his own daughter Sati and his son in law – Lord Shiva.
Sati was very much interested in attending the yagna, hosted by her father Daksha. So, she sought the permission of her husband. Shiva warned her not to go. But after pleading with Shiva, she went to the sacrificial ground where the yagna was about to happen. Her mother and siblings were very happy on seeing Sati’s arrival for the yagna. Yagna started. Brahma, Vishnu, Indra and other dikpAlakas, Surya were all given a seat and were offered their part of the yagna. Lord Shiva was totally ignored by Daksha. This increased Sati’s sadness and it turned into anger. She questioned Daksha for his acts. He in turn spoke all ill things about Lord Shiva. Sati could no longer bear this and she immediately dropped into yogagni with an intention to stop the Yagna.
Lord Shiva came to know about this and sent Nandikeswara as his messenger to look into the matter. Daksha spoke even more worse about Lord Shiva to Nandikeswara. Nandikeswara cursed Daksha that he will lose his head for being so disrespectful to Lord Shiva and went back to Kailash. Lord Shiva’s anger knew no bounds. He sent his own form, Veerabhadra to destroy the Yagna as well as Daksha and others who were all an integral part of the yagna.
Arunagirinathar in Kanchipuram Tiruppugazh “athimatham kakka” has described the entire episode of Daksha Yagna Destruction.
கதிபொருந்தக் கற்பித்து நடத்தும்
கனல்தலம் புக்குச் சக்ரம் எடுக்கும்
கடவுளும் பத்மத் தச்சனும் உட்கும்படி மோதிக்
கதிரவன் பற்குற்றிக் குயிலைத் திண்
சிறகரிந்து எட்டுத் திக்கர் வகுக்கும்
கடகமும் தட்டுப்பட்டொழியக் கொன்று அபிராமி
பதிவ்ரதம் பற்றப் பெற்ற மகப்பெண்
பரிவொழிந்து, அக்கிக்கு உட்படு தக்கன்
பரிபவம் பட்டுக் கெட்டொழியத் தன் செவிபோய் அப்
பணவி பங்கப்பட்டு அப்படி வெட்கும்
படி முனிந்து அற்றைக் கொற்றம் விளைக்கும்
பரமர் வந்திக்கக் கச்சியில் நிற்கும் பெருமாளே
gathiporuntha kaRpiththu nadaththum
kanalthalam pukku chakram edukkum
kadavuLum, padma thacchanum utkumpadi mOthik
kathiravan pal kutRi, kuyilai thiN
siRaku arinthu, ettu dhikkar vakukkum
kadakamum thattuppattozhiyak konRu abirAmi
pathivratham patRap petRa makappeN
parivozhinthu akkik kutpadu thakkan
paripavam pattuk kettozhiya than sevipOi ap
paNavi pangkappattu appadi vetkum
padi munindhu atRaik kotRam viLaikkum
paramar vanthikkak kacchiyil niRkum perumALE
Lord Shiva entered the sacrificial ground of Daksha where all arrangements were made to perform the yagna in the fire-pits as mentioned in the sastras (gathiporuntha kaRpiththu nadaththum kanalthalam pukku). He attacked (utkumpadi mOthi) Lord VishNu, who holds a disc in His hand (chakram edukkum kadavuLum) and Lord BrahmA, who is seated on the lotus and involved in creation (padma thacchanum); the teeth of the Sun were knocked down (kathiravan pal kutRi); The thick wings of IndrA, who took the form of a cuckoo, were cut (kuyilai thiN siRaku arinthu); All the armies belonging to the protecting deities in charge of the eight directions – IndrA, Agni, Yama, Nruthi, VaruNa, VAyu, KubEra and EesAna were all shattered and killed (ettu dhikkar vakukkum kadakamum thattuppattozhiyak konRu).
The beautiful goddess DakshAyaNi (abirAmi) who preserved the dignity of Her consort by being chaste (pathivratham patRap petRa makappeN) was relieved of Her anguish that She and Her consort were deliberately humiliated by Her father, Daksha (parivozhinthu); The disgraced King Daksha was slayed by being given as an offering to fire (akkikku utpadu thakkan paripavam pattuk kettozhiya); Goddess Saraswathi lost her shine (sevipOi ap paNavi) and felt ashamed (appadi vetkumpadi) after suffering injuries on her nose (pangkappattu); such was His raging anger (munindhu);
Lord Shiva, turned victorious on that day (atRaik kotRam viLaikkum Paramar)
Arunagirinathar connects Lord Muruga with this as, “Oh Muruga, you reside in Kanchipuram and you are being worshipped by Lord Shiva who destroyed Daksha Yagna and turned out to be victorious then” (vanthikkak kacchiyil niRkum perumALE).
In Vayalur thiruppugazh, “ennal pirakkavum”, Arunagirinathar has sung as below:
“மன்னான தக்கனை முன்னாள் முடித்தலை
வன்வாளியிற் கொளும் தங்கரூபன்”
“mannAna dakkanai munnAL mudith thalai
vanvALiyiR koLum thanga rUpan”
[Once (munnAL) Daksha Prajapati (mannAna dakkan) performed Yagna, without giving due respects to Lord Shiva, got his crowned head (mudith thalai) severed (koLum) with a fierce arrow (van vALiyiR) by Lord Shiva, who is golden hued (thanga rUpan)].In “paattil urugilai” thiruppugazh, sung at Theertthamalai, he gives another detail, that Daksha whose head was cut by Veerabhadra while destroying the yagna, was blessed with a goat’s head again by Lord Shiva, after Daksha realised his mistake and prayed for pardon.
ஆட்டி வடவரை வாட்டி, அரவொடு
பூட்டி திரிபுரம் மூட்டி, மறலியின்
ஆட்டம் அற சரண் நீட்டி, மதனுடல் திருநீறாய்
ஆக்கி, மகமதை வீட்டி ஒருவனை
ஆட்டின் முகமதை நாட்டி, மறைமக
ளார்க்கும் வடுவுற வாட்டும் உமையவன் அருள்பாலா
“Atti vadavarai vAtti aravodu
pUtti, thiripuram mUtti, maRaliyin
Attam aRa saraneetti, madhanudal thiruneeRAy
Akki, magamadhai veetti oruvanai
Attin mugamadhai nAtti, maRaimagaL
Arkkum vaduvuRa vAttum umaiyavan aruLbAlA
The initial lines – “Atti vadavarai vAtti aravodu pUtti, thiripuram mUtti” – narrate the Tripura Samharam that we saw in the last part. Vadavarai denotes the mEru mountain. Lord Shiva who controls the entire universe with his cosmic dance is referred here as Atti (the one who dances) shook the mEru mountain (vadavarai vAtti), placed it as bow and tied the serpent Vasuki as its string (aravodu pUtti) and burnt the Tripura (thiripuram mUtti).
Then comes the episode of Kaala Samharam or Conquering of Yama – the Lord of Death. “maRaliyin Attam aRa saraneetti” – Lord Shiva subdued the arrogance of Yama (maRaliyin Attam aRa) by kicking him with His feet (saran neetti) – saran – feet.
Next comes KAma dahanam or Burning Manmatha and turning him to ashes. “madhan udal thiruneeRAy Akki”.
“magamadhai veetti oruvanai
The lines below narrate the episode of destroying Daksha Yagna.
Attin mugamadhai nAtti, maRaimagaL
Arkkum vaduvuRa vAttum umaiyavan aruLbAlA
Arunagirinathar calls Muruga as “the son blessed by Lord Shiva, the consort of Goddess Uma (umaiyavan aruL bAlA), who destroyed the Daksha yagna (magamadhai veetti), severed off his head and replaced with a goat’s head (oruvanai Attin mugamadhai nAtti) and punished Goddess Saraswati (maRaimagaL), for being there at the yagna by Daksha’s side, by hitting on her face that created scars (Arkkum vaduvuRa vAttum).
The Kaappu seyyuL of Kandhar Andhadhi starts with this episode of Destroying Daksha Yagna by Lord Shiva.
வாரணத்தானை, அயனை, விண்ணோரை, மலர்க்கரத்து
வாரணத்தானை மகத்துவென்றோன் மைந்தனை; துவச
வாரணத்தானைத் துணை நயந்தானை; வயல் அருணை
வாரணத்தானைத் திறைகொண்ட யானையை வாழ்த்துவனே
vAraNaththAnai, ayanai, viNNOrai, malarkkaraththu
vAraNaththaanai magaththu venROn maindhanai; dhuvasa
vAraNaththaanaith thuNai nayandhaanai; vayal aruNai
vAraNaththaanaith thiRai koNda yAnaiyai vAzhththuvanE
This song is dedicated to Lord Vinayaka.
He says that he praises (vAzhththuvanE) the elephant headed lord (yAnaiyai), the son (maindhanai) of Lord Shiva, who won over (venROn) Indra (vAraNaththAnai), BrahmA (ayanai), Devas (viNNOrai), Lord Vishnu who holds the conch in his lotus-like hand (malarkkaraththu vAraNaththAnai) at the Daksha yagna (magaththu); the one who is born along with (thuNai nayandhAnai) the lord who holds the rooster flag (dhuvasa vAraNaththAnai) in his hand; the one who won the battle (thiRai koNda) against the elephant headed demon – gajamukhAsuran (vAraNaththAnai) at Tiruvannamalai abundant with fertile lands (vayal aruNai).
Meaning of vAraNaththAnai in each line:
Line 1 – Indra, who rides on the white elephant – airAvatham (vAraNam – Elephant)
Line 2 – Vishnu, who holds the conch – pAnchajanyam (vAraNam – Conch)
Line 3 – Muruga, who holds the rooster (cock) flag – (vAraNam – Cock)
Line 4 – Elephant headed demon – GajamukhAsuran – (vAraNam – Elephant)
This heroic act of Lord Shiva is associated with the sthalam Tiruppariyalur also known as keezhapparasalur, 10 km to the East of Mayiladuthurai.
We can come to the conclusion from this episode that arrogance will be punished. Daksha being arrogant, suffered a lot. Later upon realising his mistake and begging for pardon, he was given relief.
