218
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 7]
PURPORT
This time, all the demigods and great sages were very careful not to irritate Lord Śiva. Therefore whatever he asked was done. It is specifically said here that Dakṣa's body was joined to the head of an animal (a goat).
TEXT 9
संधीयमाने शिरसि दक्षो रुद्राभिवीक्षितः । सद्यः सुप्त इवोत्तथौ दद्दशे चाग्रतो मृडम् ॥ ९ ॥
sandhīyamāne śirasi dakṣo rudrābhivīkṣitaḥ sadyaḥ supta ivottasthau dadṛśe cāgrato mṛḍam
sandhīyamāne —being executed;  śirasi —by the head;  dakṣaḥ —King Dakṣa;  rudra-abhivīkṣitaḥ —having been seen by Rudra (Lord Śiva);  sadyaḥ —immediately;  supte —sleeping;  iva —like;  uttasthau —awakened;  dadṛśe —saw;  ca —also;  agrataḥ —in front;  mṛḍam —Lord Śiva.
TRANSLATION
When the animal's head was fixed on the body of King Dakṣa, Dakṣa was immediately brought to consciousness, and as he awakened from sleep, the King saw Lord Śiva standing before him.
PURPORT
The example given here is that Dakṣa got up as if he were awakened from deep sleep. In Sanskrit this is called  supta ivottasthau . The meaning is that after a man awakens from sleep, he immediately remembers all the duties which he must execute. Dakṣa was killed, and his head was taken away and burnt to ashes. His body was lying dead, but by the grace of Lord Śiva, as soon as the head of a goat was joined to the body, Dakṣa came back to consciousness again. This indicates that consciousness is also individual. Dakṣa actually took another body when he took on the head of a goat, but because consciousness is individual, his consciousness remained the same although his bodily condition changed. Thus bodily construction has nothing to do with the development of consciousness. Consciousness is carried with the transmigration of the soul. There are many instances of this in Vedic history, such as the case of Mahārāja Bharata. After quitting his body as a king, Mahārāja Bharata was transferred to the body of a deer, but he retained the same consciousness. He