Shloka 46
Kāṣṭhīla-Upākhyāna: Rākṣasī, Spear-Śakti, and Kāśī as Śakti-kṣetra
मोहिनीमोहितो देहमुत्ससर्ज कथं स च । यः शिवः शिवदः साक्षात्प्रकृतीशः परात्परः ॥ ४६ ॥
mohinīmohito dehamutsasarja kathaṃ sa ca | yaḥ śivaḥ śivadaḥ sākṣātprakṛtīśaḥ parātparaḥ || 46 ||
How could he—deluded by Mohinī—have abandoned his own body, when he is Śiva himself, the direct bestower of auspiciousness, the Lord of Prakṛti, and the Supreme beyond the supreme?
Narrator (Purāṇic dialogue frame; speaker not explicit in this single verse)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta (wonder)
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka (fear)
FAQs
It highlights a theological tension: even if a divine “delusion” narrative is told, Śiva’s essential nature is affirmed as transcendent—bestower of auspiciousness and Lord over Prakṛti—so the episode is read as līlā (divine play) or as a teaching about māyā, not a denial of Śiva’s supremacy.
By naming Śiva as “śiva-da” (giver of auspiciousness) and “parāt-para,” it encourages devotional reverence grounded in right understanding: the devotee worships the deity’s highest tattva beyond surface narratives, cultivating steady bhakti rather than doubt.
Primarily Vyākaraṇa/semantic discernment: epithets like prakṛtīśa and parāt-para teach precise theological meaning—distinguishing narrative description from siddhānta (doctrinal conclusion) when interpreting Purāṇic passages.