Shloka 37
Gaṅgā-Avataraṇa and the Naming of Gaṅgādvāra (गङ्गावतरणम्—गङ्गाद्वारप्रसिद्धिः)
अद्यप्रभृति दुर्मार्गे तत्र श्रद्धा भवेत्तु वः । मोक्षमार्गविहीने हि सदा श्रुतिबहिर्मुखे
adyaprabhṛti durmārge tatra śraddhā bhavettu vaḥ | mokṣamārgavihīne hi sadā śrutibahirmukhe
Von heute an soll euer Glaube nicht auf jenem bösen Pfad ruhen—denn er ist ohne den Weg zur Moksha und stets vom vedischen Offenbarungswort abgewandt.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
FAQs
It warns devotees to withdraw faith from adharmic, misleading paths and to align their life with the mokṣa-mārga—conduct and devotion rooted in Śruti—so the soul may move toward Shiva’s grace and liberation.
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is meant to be a Śruti-aligned, mokṣa-oriented practice; this verse cautions that devotion becomes fruitless if it turns away from scriptural dharma and the liberating intent behind Saguna Shiva worship.
The implied takeaway is to follow Śaiva dharma-based sādhana—regular Shiva-pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and disciplined conduct—rather than pursuing practices that reject Śruti and do not lead to liberation.