Arrogance does not go unpunished, and we have several instances of this in our religious literature, said K. Sambandan, in a discourse. King Daksha, the father in law of Lord Siva, invites all the celestials to his yaga. But he does not invite Lord Siva. Dakshayani, Daksha’s daughter, decides to go to Her father and demand an explanation. Lord Siva tells Her not to visit Daksha, but Dakshayani does not pay heed to Lord Siva. Humiliated by Daksha, Dakshayani jumps into the fire. An angry Siva then cuts off Daksha’s head. Thus Daksha pays for his arrogance.
Another example of arrogance being punished is seen in the instance of the sages of Darukavanam. The sages and their wives are proud of their greatness. To teach them a lesson, Lord Siva assumes the form of a mendicant, and Lord Mahavishnu the form of a beautiful woman. This form of Siva is known as Bikshatana and Vishnu in the form of the lovely lady is known as Mohini.
The sages, who were proud of their dedication to their penance, were attracted by the beauty of Mohini, and the wives of the sages were lost in admiration of the handsomeness of Lord Siva as Bikshatana. The sages try to destroy Bikshatana. They summon snakes from their holy fire, but the Lord wears the snakes as garlands. They summon a tiger from the fire, but He kills the tiger and wears its skin as His garment. His wearing of the snakes as ornaments and the wearing of a tiger’s skin as suitable attire — are all indications that He dislikes arrogance, and showers His blessings on simple and humble devotees. True devotees attach no importance to wealth or clothes.
