Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 24
दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship
शिवगणा ऊचुः । मुंचतैनं द्विजं याम्या गणाः परम धार्मिकम् । दण्डयोग्यो न विप्रोऽसौ दग्धसर्वाघसंचयः
śivagaṇā ūcuḥ | muṃcatainaṃ dvijaṃ yāmyā gaṇāḥ parama dhārmikam | daṇḍayogyo na vipro'sau dagdhasarvāghasaṃcayaḥ
শিৱগণে ক’লে—হে যমগণসকল, এই পৰম ধৰ্মাত্মা দ্বিজক মুক্ত কৰক। এই ব্ৰাহ্মণ দণ্ডৰ যোগ্য নহয়, কিয়নো তাৰ সকলো পাপসঞ্চয় দগ্ধ হৈ গৈছে।
Śiva-gaṇas (attendants of Lord Śiva)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it is a doctrinally charged scene where Śiva’s gaṇas assert that sin (āgha) is ‘burnt’—a grace/merit transformation overriding Yama’s punitive claim.
Significance: Encourages Śiva-bhakti as pāpa-dāha (burning of sins) and as refuge from fear of punishment; reinforces the supremacy of Śiva’s anugraha over mere retribution.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: Judicial confrontation in the subtle realm: dharma vs grace, punishment vs purification.
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva’s grace and dharmic devotion can burn the latent store of pāpa (sin), making the soul no longer eligible for punitive karmic retribution—highlighting Śiva as Pati who liberates the bound paśu from pāśa.
The verse reflects Saguna Śiva’s protective role: sincere worship and allegiance to Śiva’s dharma invoke His gaṇas’ guardianship, implying that Linga-bhakti and Śiva-sevā purify karma and remove obstacles on the path to liberation.
A practical takeaway is daily Śiva-smaraṇa with the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), supported by purity practices like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and disciplined dharma, as means for inner purification and karmic burning.