Shloka 58
कामप्रभावः (कामा॑स्य प्रभाववर्णनम्) — The Power of Kāma and the (Ineffective) Attempt to Delude Śiva
निवृत्त्य पुनरायातो मम स्थानं स्मरस्तदा । आसीन्मारगणोऽगर्वोऽहर्षो मेपि पुरस्थितः
nivṛttya punarāyāto mama sthānaṃ smarastadā | āsīnmāragaṇo'garvo'harṣo mepi purasthitaḥ
Nachdem er sich zurückgezogen hatte, kehrte Smara (Kāma) erneut zurück, meiner Stätte eingedenk. Doch die Schar Māras stand dort — ohne Übermut und ohne Jubel — und blieb an meinem eigenen Tor postiert.
Lord Shiva (as narrated within the Sati Khanda narrative, ultimately relayed by Suta Goswami)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Sthala Purana: Śiva’s first-person recollection of Kāma’s repeated approach and the humbled Māra-gaṇas at His gate; not linked to a Jyotirliṅga locale.
FAQs
The verse highlights Shiva’s yogic sovereignty: even when desire returns, it cannot disturb the Lord’s inner stillness. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Pati (Shiva) remains untouched by pasha (bondage), while the forces of craving stand powerless before His presence.
In Linga-worship, the devotee approaches Saguna Shiva as the compassionate Lord who grants steadiness of mind. This scene mirrors the devotee’s practice: external provocations may reappear, yet before the Linga—symbol of Shiva’s unwavering consciousness—desire loses its command.
The takeaway is sense-restraint supported by japa and dhyāna: repeat the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while contemplating Shiva’s calm, and use Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders of vairāgya and inner purity.