Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 3 Verse 3

Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth Order | Chapter 3: Talks Between Lord Śiva and Satī

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.3.3

iṣṭvā sa vājapeyena

brahmiṣṭhān abhibhūya ca

bṛhaspati-savaḿ nāma

samārebhe kratūttamam

SYNONYMS

iṣṭvā — after performing; saḥ — he (Dakṣa); vājapeyena — with a vājapeya sacrifice; brahmiṣṭhān — Śiva and his followers; abhibhūya — neglecting; ca — and; bṛhaspati-savam — the bṛhaspati-sava; nāma — called; samārebhe — began; kratu-uttamam — the best of sacrifices.

TRANSLATION

Dakṣa began a sacrifice named vājapeya, and he became excessively confident of his support by Lord Brahmā, He then performed another great sacrifice, named bṛhaspati-sava.

PURPORT

In the Vedas it is prescribed that before performing a bṛhaspati-sava sacrifice, one should perform the sacrifice named vājapeya. While performing these sacrifices, however, Dakṣa neglected great devotees like Lord Śiva. According to Vedic scriptures, the demigods are eligible to participate in yajñas and share the oblations, but Dakṣa wanted to avoid them. All sacrifices are intended to pacify Lord Viṣṇu, but Lord Viṣṇu includes all His devotees. Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the other demigods are all obedient servants of Lord Viṣṇu; therefore Lord Viṣṇu is never satisfied without them. But Dakṣa, being puffed up with his power, wanted to deprive Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva of participation in the sacrifice, understanding that if one satisfies Viṣṇu, it is not necessary to satisfy His followers. But that is not the process. Viṣṇu wants His followers to be satisfied first. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā: [SB 11.19.21] "The worship of My devotees is better than worship of Me." Similarly, in the Śiva Purāṇa, it is stated that the best mode of worship is to offer oblations to Viṣṇu, but better than that is to worship the devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Thus Dakṣa's determination to neglect Lord Śiva in the sacrifices was not fitting.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness