Shloka 21
Vaiśyanātha-avatāra-kathā
The Account of Śiva’s Manifestation as Vaiśyanātha
वेश्योवाच । वयं हि स्वैरचारिण्यो वेश्यास्तु न पतिव्रताः । अस्मत्कुलोचितो धर्मो व्यभिचारो न संशयः
veśyovāca | vayaṃ hi svairacāriṇyo veśyāstu na pativratāḥ | asmatkulocito dharmo vyabhicāro na saṃśayaḥ
Die Kurtisane sprach: „Wahrlich, wir sind Frauen, die nach eigenem Willen umhergehen; als Kurtisanen sind wir nicht einem einzigen Gatten in Treue geweiht. Für unsere Herkunft und unser Gewerbe gilt als ‘angemessene’ Lebensweise der Umgang mit vielen — daran besteht kein Zweifel.“
Veshya (courtesan)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It shows how worldly identity and profession can normalize bondage-bound conduct; from a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such self-justification is a form of pasha (bondage) that keeps the soul turned outward until it seeks Shiva’s purifying grace and right discernment.
By contrasting worldly ‘custom’ with higher purity, the narrative implicitly points toward Saguna Shiva (Linga-worship) as a stabilizing refuge that reforms conduct and redirects desire into devotion, gradually loosening karmic bonds.
A practical takeaway is to adopt Shiva-oriented discipline—daily japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with inner restraint—so that impulsive tendencies are transformed rather than defended as “my nature.”