Shloka 55
ब्राह्मणीस्वर्गतिवर्णनम्
Brāhmaṇī-Svargati-Varṇana: Account of a Brāhmaṇa Woman’s Ascent to Heaven
तयोक्तं तं च भोः पांथ कुतो यासि सुविस्मितः । सत्यं ब्रूहि च्छलं त्यक्त्वा विप्रवर्य ममाग्रतः
tayoktaṃ taṃ ca bhoḥ pāṃtha kuto yāsi suvismitaḥ | satyaṃ brūhi cchalaṃ tyaktvā vipravarya mamāgrataḥ
Da sprach sie zu ihm: „O Wanderer, wohin gehst du so verwirrt? O Bester unter den Brāhmaṇas, wirf alle Täuschung ab und sprich die Wahrheit vor mir.“
A woman in the narrative (addressing a brāhmaṇa traveller) as narrated by Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Significance: Ethical purification (satya-śuddhi) as a prerequisite for Śiva’s grace; truthfulness and abandonment of chala (deceit) are framed as the pilgrim’s inner tīrtha.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse upholds satya (truth) as a foundational dharma: spiritual progress and Shiva’s grace are supported by sincerity and the abandonment of chala (deceit), which binds the soul (paśu) through impurity and self-delusion.
In Kotirudra contexts tied to pilgrimage and sacred encounters, approaching Saguna Shiva (as Jyotirlinga) requires inner and outer purity; truthfulness is part of the right disposition (bhāva) that makes worship fruitful rather than merely formal.
A practical takeaway is satya-vrata (a vow of truth) during pilgrimage and worship—paired with simple disciplines like japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and honest self-examination before puja—so devotion is free from hypocrisy.