224
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 7]
Persons who are simply attached to Vedic rituals, without further advancement of devotional service or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are almost like animals, and Lord Śiva is in charge of giving them protection and sometimes punishing them, as he punished Dakṣa.
TEXT 15
योऽसौ मयाविदिततच्चदृशा सभायां 
    क्षिप्तो दुरुक्तिविशिखैर्विगणय्य तन्माम् । 
    अवक् पतन्तमर्हत्तमनिन्दयापाद् 
    दृष्ट्याऽऽर्द्रया स भगवान् स्वकृतेन तुष्येत्॥१५॥
yo'sau mayāvidita-tattva-dṛśā sabhāyām 
    kṣipto durukti-viśikhair vigaṇayya tan mām 
    arvāk patantam arhattama-nindayāpād 
    dṛṣṭyārdrayā sa bhagavān sva-kṛtena tuṣyet
yaḥ—who; asau—that; mayā—by me; avidita-tattva—without knowing the actual fact; dṛśā—by experience; sabhāyām—in the assembly; kṣiptaḥ—was abused; durukti—unkind words; viśikhaiḥ—by the arrows of; vigaṇayya—taking no notice of; tat—that; mām—me; arvāk—downwards; patantam—gliding down to hell; arhattama—the most respectable; nindayā—by defamation; apāt—saved; dṛṣṭyā—seeing; ārdrayā—out of compassion; saḥ—that; bhagavān—Your Lordship; sva-kṛtena—by your own mercy; tuṣyet—be satisfied.
TRANSLATION
I did not know your full glories. For this reason, I threw arrows of sharp words at you in the open assembly, although you did not take them into account. I was going down to hell because of my disobedience to you, who are the most respectable personality, but you took compassion upon me and saved me by awarding punishment. I request that you be pleased by your own mercy, since I cannot satisfy you by my words.
PURPORT
As usual, a devotee in an adverse condition of life accepts such a condition to be the mercy of the Lord. Factually, the insulting words used by Dakṣa against Lord Śiva were enough to have him thrown perpetually into a hellish life. But Lord Śiva, being kind toward him, awarded him punishment to neutralize the offense. King Dakṣa realized this, and, feeling obliged for Lord Śiva's magnanimous behavior, he wanted to show his