Daksha

For the island in Croatia, see Daksa (island).

Daksha
Ram-faced Daksha (right) with Virabhadra form of Shiva
Devanagari	दक्ष
Consort	Prasuti, Panchajani

In Rigveda, the term Daksha is related to Yagya [sacrifice].This is kshtriya community. His name is mentioned in Hiranyagharbha sukta and yajurveda purushasukta where he is connected with Prajapathi. In another suktha from rigveda he is described as born from Aditi ,and then gave birth to Aditi. In fact, his duty as a sacrificer has an indirect connection with the Goat face [Aja],he has been given by Siva in puranic period. In Hinduism later puranas , he is one of the Prajapatis (an ancient creator god), and the Rishis , was named Daksha/Dakshesha meaning "the skilled one". He is identified as an aspect of Dhatri, one of the Ādityas. But in hinduism another person,who is a king & tycoon is also named Daksha. This article is about him. For the diety Dakshasena See : Dhatri

According to Hindu legend, Daksha is one of the sons of Lord Brahma. Brahma after creating the 10 Manas Putras, created Daksha, Dharama, Kamadeva and Agni from his right thumb, chest, heart and eye-brows respectively. Besides his noble birth, Daksa was a great king. Pictures show him as a rotund and obese man with a stocky body, protruding belly, and muscular with the head of an ibex like being, but, spiral horns.

Daughters of Daksha

According to Puranas, Daksha had 24 daughters from his wife Prasuti and another 62 from his wife Panchajani (Virini).

According to Vishnu Purana and Padma Purana, Daksha and his wife Prasuti had 24 daughters. The names of these 24 daughters are Sraddha (faith), Srilakshmi (prosperity), Dhriti (steadiness), Tushti (resignation), Pushti (thriving), Medha (intelligence), Kriya (action, devotion), Buddhika (intellect), Lajja (modesty), Vapu (body), Santi (expiation), Siddhika (perfection), Kirtti (fame), Khyati (celebrity), Sati (truth), Sambhuti (fitness), Smriti (memory), Priti (affection), Kshama (patience), Sannati (humility), Anasuya (lit. without jealousy), Urjja (energy), with Swaha (offering), and Swadha (oblation).

Of these 13 married to Dharma are, Sraddha, Srilakshmi, Dhriti, Tushti, Pushti, Medha, Kriya, Buddhi, Lajja, Vapu, Santi, Siddhi, Kirtti. The other 11 are Khyati married to Bhrigu, Sati to Shiva(Bhava), Sambhuti to Marichi, Smriti to Angiras, Priti to Pulastya, Kshama to Pulaha), Sannati to Kratu, Anasuya to Atri, Arundhati to Vasishtha, Swaha to Agni, and Swadha to Pitris.

According to Matsya Purana, Daksha and his wife Panchajani(daughter of Virani) had 62 daughters, not one of whom resembled their father. 10 of those daughters were married to Dharma, 13 to sage Kashyapa, 27 to Chandra, 4 to Arishtanemi, 1 to Kama, 1 to lord Shiva, 2 to sons of sage Bhrigu, 2 to sage Angiras, 2 to Krisasva. According to Padma Purana, when Daksha felt the number of women are still not sufficient, he decided to have 60 more daughters.

Sati was the daughter married to Shiva(Bhava). The 10 daughter's married to Dharma are (1) Maruvati, (2) Vasu, (3) Jami (4) Lamba, (5) Bhanu, (6) Urjja, (7) Sankalp, (8) Mahurath, (9) Sadhya, and (10) Vishva. The 13 daughter's married to sage Kashyapa are (1) Aditi, (2) Diti, (3) Danu (4)Arishta, (5) Sursa, (6)Surabhi, (7) Vinata, (8) Tamra, (9) Krodhvasha, (10) Ira, (11) Kadru, (12) Vishva, and (13) Muni. The 1 daughter married to Kamadeva was Rati.

The 27 daughters married to Chandra are (1) Kṛttikā (the Pleiads), (2) Rohinī, (3) Mrigashīrsha, (4) Ārdrā, (5) Punarvasu, (6) purbabhadrapada, (7) Pushya, (8) Asleshā, (9) Maghā, (10) Svāti (Arcturus), (11) Chitrā (Spica), (12) Purbaphalguni, (13) Hasta, (14) Rādhas, (15) Vishākhā, (16) Anurādhā, (17) Jyeshthā, (18) Mūla, (19) purbashādha, (20)Uttarashara, (21) Sravana, (22) Uttarphalguni, (23) Satabhisha, (24) Uttarbhadrapada, (25) Revati, (26) Ashwini, (27) Bharani. These 27 wife of Chandra are 27 Nakshatras (the constellations) which are on the moon's orbit.

Daksha found that Soma overly favored one daughter (Rohini) over the others, thus neglecting their needs and flouting his responsibilities. For this, Daksha cursed him to wither and die. The daughters intervened and made his death periodic, symbolized by the waxing and waning of the moon.

Story of Sati and Shiva

Daksha is a Sanskrit word said to be a Prajapati or one of the Brahma's sons. The equivalent meaning in English is Competent. One of the daughter of Prajapati (often said to be the youngest) was Sati or Dakshayani, who had always wished to marry Shiva. Daksha forbade it, but she disobeyed him and did so anyway, finding in Shiva a doting and loving husband. Daksha disliked Shiva intensely, calling him a dirty, roaming ascetic and reviling the great yogi's cohort of goblins and ghouls.

The Yagna of Daksha

From then on, he distanced himself from his daughter, Dakshayani/Sati, and his son-in-law, Shiva. This enmity culminated in a great sacrifice he had been hosting, one to which he invited all and sundry, family and allies, gods and rishis, courtiers and subjects. Consciously excluding Sati from the list, he also set up a statue of Shiva, which he defiled and mocked, at the entrance to his hall. Sati, ebullient at the thought of such a great event, and assuming that the daughter of the king was welcome no matter what, attended the festival. Snubbed by her father and treated with disdain, Sati nonetheless maintained her composure. Indeed, even her father's refusal to invite Shiva, her husband and thus a traditionally honored member of any Hindu family, was to some extent borne.

Shiva carrying the corpse of his consort दाक्षायनि (सती) Dakshayani (Sati).

However, on seeing the shameless insult to her husband in his absence, and the repeated slights King Daksha and his courtiers railed at Shiva, she committed suicide in grief for her beloved.She warned Daksha and others present to be prepaired for the destruction that Mahadev would cause after her death .In order to explain Daksha what wrong he has done she even assumed the fierce form of Durga and told him that she was Adi-Shakti herself and the Prakriti or Nature.Sati called Agni Dev or Yagna Agni to burn her body but Agni Dev said that his energy was because of Sati Since she was Adi-Shakti hence she commited suicide by invoking her Yogagni present inside her . Hearing the news, Shiva's attendants rushed inside the ceremony hall and started attacking all the guests present there, however, the demons invoked by Bhrigu defeated Shivas attendants and they retreated back to his abode. Upon hearing the news of his beloved wife's death, Shiva was furious that Daksha could so callously cause the harm of his (Daksha's) own daughter in so ignoble a manner. Shiva grabbed a lock of his matted hair and dashed it to the ground. From the two pieces rose the ferocious Virabhadra and the terrible Rudrakali, while Bhadrakali arose from the wrath of Devi herself. Upon Shiva's orders they stormed the ceremony and killed Daksha as well as many of the guests. Terrified and with remorse the others propitiated Lord Shiva and begged his mercy to restore Daksha's life and to allow the sacrifice to be completed. Shiva, the all-merciful One, restored Daksha's life, with the head of a goat. In his humility, and repentance for his graceless and sinful acts, Daksha became one of Shiva's most devoted, attendants.

Sati/Dakshayani later incarnated as Parvati in her next life, and remarried Shiva, henceforth never to part with him again. It is for this reason that Shiva, while monogamous, has had two wives in reality, but the same soul in two incarnations.

One place that associates with this Yagna of Daksha, according to its Sthala Purana, is Kottiyur in a largely forested area of Kannur District, Kerala. At Kottiyur, there are two temples - Sri Akkare Kottiyur Temple and Sri Ikkare Kottiyur Temple, located on opposite banks of Bavali river. Sri Akkare Kottiyur Temple is open during the Kottiyoor Vaisakha Mahothsavam festival only.

Another place that claims to be the site of Daksha's Yagna is Shri Daksheshwar Temple, about 4 KM from Haridwar. There is a pit within the grounds of the temple which supposedly marks the exact location of the sacrificial fire.

Local legend has it that Draksharama was where the Daksha yagna was performed. It is one of the Pancharama sites and is located near Kakinada in East godavari district, AP.

Other daughters

Some of Daksha's other daughters include Rohini, Revati, Bharani and Anuradha and other Nakshatras (Constellations), married Chandra. Another, Rati, married Kama. Another daughter, Danu, gave birth to the evil Danavas. According to the Monnier-Williams dictionary Samkalpa (initiative/volition) is mentioned as a daughter of Daksha. There is a theory identifying Samkalpa with Lubhyati, the Sanskrit name-word etymologically related to love and libido.

See also

• Dakshayagnam (film)
• Kumhar
• Prajapati
• Dakshayani
• Dakshina
• Draksharama
• Kankhal
• Kottiyur

References

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola

External links

• Lineage of Daksha, The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section LXV
• Legend of the Draksharama temple [1]