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Concept
Daksha
Summary
In Hinduism, Daksha (Sanskrit: दक्ष, IAST: , lit. "able, dexterous, or honest one") is one of the prajapati, the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. His iconography depicts him as a man with a stocky body and a handsome face or the head of a goat.
In the Rigveda, Daksha is an aditya and is associated with priestly skills. In the epics and Puranic scriptures, he is a son of the creator-god Brahma and the father of many children, who became the progenitors of various creatures. According to one legend, a resentful Daksha conducted a yajna (fire-sacrifice), and deliberately did not invite his youngest daughter Sati and her husband Shiva. In the Linga Purana, for insulting Shiva during this event, which caused Sati to self-immolate in fury, he was beheaded by Virabhadra, an attendant of Shiva. He was later resurrected with the head of a goat. Many Puranas state that Daksha was reborn to Prachetas in another Manvantara (age of Manu).
The meaning of the word "Daksha" (दक्ष) is "able", "expert", "skillful" or "honest". According to the Bhagavata Purana, Daksha got this name as he was expert in begetting children. The word also means "fit", "energetic" and "fire". Daksha also has another name "Kan".
Daksha finds mentions in the ancient scripture Rigveda (2nd millennium BCE), where he is described as an Aditya ('son of the goddess Aditi') and specifically associated with the skilled actions of sacrificers. Later in the Brahmanas (900 BCE - 700 BCE), he is identified with the creator deity Prajapati. Key elements of Daksha including his yajna and ram head, which later became a key feature in the Puranic iconography, are first found in the Taittariya Samhita. The epics—the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—also mention Daksha. Most of the stories about Daksha are found in the Puranas (3rd - 10th century CE).
The epic Mahabharata describes Daksha and his wife emerging from the right and left thumbs of the creator god Brahma respectively. According to Matsya Purana, Daksha, Dharma, Kamadeva, and Agni were born from Brahma's right thumb, chest, heart and eyebrows, respectively.
Official source
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