Shloka 21

दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः

Devanagari script

विपरीता निपेतुर्वै विस्रस्तांशुकमूर्धजाः पतिव्रताः पतीनां तु संनिधौ भवमायया

Transliteration

viparītā nipeturvai visrastāṃśukamūrdhajāḥ pativratāḥ patīnāṃ tu saṃnidhau bhavamāyayā

Translation

Durch Bhavas (Śivas) Māyā, die verhüllende Kraft, stürzten jene dem Gatten gelobten Frauen (pativrata) in Unordnung nieder—die Gewänder gelockert, das Haar gelöst—mitten vor den Augen ihrer Ehemänner.

Word by Word

• viparītāḥ: overturned, in disordered posture

• nipetuḥ: they fell down

• vai: indeed

• visrasta: loosened, fallen away

• aṃśuka: garment, cloth

• mūrdhajāḥ: hair of the head

• pativratāḥ: chaste wives devoted to their husbands

• patīnām: of (their) husbands

• tu: and/indeed

• saṃnidhau: in the presence

• bhava-māyayā: by Bhava’s (Śiva’s) māyā, deluding power

Speaker

Suta (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Bhava)
• Pativratas
• Husbands (Patis)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It highlights Śiva as Pati whose māyā can bind the pashu (embodied soul) through pasha (delusion); Linga-worship is presented as a stabilizing refuge that turns the mind from māyā toward the Lord’s grace.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is shown as Bhava who wields māyā—His veiling power (tirodhāna)—demonstrating sovereign control over perception and conduct, not to harm but to reveal the limits of worldly virtue without God-realization.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied takeaway aligns with Pāśupata discipline: vigilance over the senses and mind, and anchoring awareness in the Pati through mantra, worship, and inner detachment so māyā does not overturn one’s steadiness.