Shloka 21
नरकनामनिर्णयः
Catalogue of Narakas and Karmic Causes
वीर्यं स्वप्नेषु स्कंदेयुर्ये नरा ब्रह्मचारिणः । पुत्रा नाध्यापिता यैश्च ते पतंति श्वभोजने
vīryaṃ svapneṣu skaṃdeyurye narā brahmacāriṇaḥ | putrā nādhyāpitā yaiśca te pataṃti śvabhojane
Männer, die das Gelübde des Brahmacarya auf sich genommen haben und doch das vīrya (den Samen) selbst im Traum fallen lassen—und jene, die ihre Söhne nicht in heiliger Zucht unterweisen—stürzen in den Zustand namens „śvabhojana“, eine Erniedrigung, dem Fressen unter Hunden gleichgesetzt.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Frames brahmacarya and śāstra-transmission as dharmic supports for inner purity; negligence increases bondage and delays the soul’s ripening for Śiva’s grace.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that brahmacarya is not merely external celibacy but mastery over desire at the subtle level of mind and dream; negligence in self-restraint and in transmitting dharma to one’s children strengthens pasha (bondage) and leads to spiritual downfall.
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is grounded in śauca (purity), niyama (discipline), and sense-control; honoring Saguna Shiva through vrata and worship is contradicted by indulgence and neglect of dharma, which this verse warns against.
Maintain a brahmacarya-vrata with mindfulness and japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), supported by daily purity disciplines (such as bhasma/Tripuṇḍra where appropriate) and dharmic study/teaching within the household.