Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth Order | Chapter 2: Dakṣa Curses Lord Śiva |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.2.19
niṣidhyamānaḥ sa sadasya-mukhyair
dakṣo giritrāya visṛjya śāpam
tasmād viniṣkramya vivṛddha-manyur
jagāma kauravya nijaḿ niketanam
SYNONYMS
niṣidhyamānaḥ — being requested not to; saḥ — he (Dakṣa); sadasya-mukhyaiḥ — by the members of the sacrifice; dakṣaḥ — Dakṣa; giritrāya — to Śiva; visṛjya — giving; śāpam — a curse; tasmāt — from that place; viniṣkramya — going out; vivṛddha-manyuḥ — being exceedingly angry; jagāma — went; kauravya — O Vidura; nijam — to his own; niketanam — home.
TRANSLATION
Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, in spite of the requests of all the members of the sacrificial assembly, Dakṣa, in great anger, cursed Lord Śiva and then left the assembly and went back to his home.
PURPORT
Anger is so detrimental that even a great personality like Dakṣa, out of anger, left the arena where Brahmā was presiding and all the great sages and pious and saintly persons were assembled. All of them requested him not to leave, but, infuriated, he left, thinking that the auspicious place was not fit for him. Puffed up by his exalted position, he thought that no one was greater than he in argument. It appears that all the members of the assembly, including Lord Brahmā, requested him not to be angry and leave their company, but in spite of all these requests, he left. That is the effect of cruel anger. In Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, it is advised that one who desires to make tangible advancement in spiritual consciousness must avoid three things — lust, anger and the mode of passion. Actually we can see that lust, anger and passion make a man crazy, even though he be as great as Dakṣa. The very name Dakṣa suggests that he was expert in all material activities, but still, because of his aversion towards such a saintly personality as Śiva, he was attacked by these three enemies — anger, lust and passion. Lord Caitanya, therefore, advised that one be very careful not to offend Vaiṣṇavas. He compared offenses toward a Vaiṣṇava to a mad elephant. As a mad elephant can do anything horrible, so when a person offends a Vaiṣṇava he can perform any abominable action.
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness