Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
कामशापानुग्रहः (Kāmaśāpānugraha) — “The Curse and Grace Concerning Kāma”
ब्रह्मोवाच । इति संचित्य मनसा निश्चित्य च मनोभवः । पुष्पजं पुष्पजातस्य योजयामास मार्गणैः
brahmovāca | iti saṃcitya manasā niścitya ca manobhavaḥ | puṣpajaṃ puṣpajātasya yojayāmāsa mārgaṇaiḥ
Brahmā sprach: Nachdem er so seine Gedanken gesammelt und in seinem Geist einen festen Entschluss gefasst hatte, legte Manobhava (Kāma, der Gott des Begehrens) seine blumengeborenen Pfeile an den blumengeborenen Bogen und machte sie einsatzbereit.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pasha
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights how kāma (desire), arising in the mind, first consolidates as intention and resolve before manifesting as action—illustrating a key Shaiva insight that mental impulses can become bondage (pāśa) unless restrained by devotion and discernment oriented to Shiva (Pati).
In the Satīkhaṇḍa narrative, Kāma’s attempt to provoke Shiva underscores Shiva’s transcendence over sensory and mental agitation; worship of the Liṅga as Saguna Shiva trains the devotee to withdraw from such disturbances and anchor the mind in the Lord’s steady presence.
A practical takeaway is mind-discipline: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady dhyāna on Shiva to counter the mind’s fixation on desire; on Mahāśivarātri, intensified japa and vrata are traditionally used to subdue kāma and support vairāgya.