Shloka 40
Bhaimaśaṅkara-māhātmya: Śiva’s Descent in Kāmarūpa and the Rise of Bhīma
राजा चापि सुधर्मिष्ठः प्रियधर्मो हरप्रियः । गृहीतो निगडैस्तेन ह्येकांते स्थापितश्च सः
rājā cāpi sudharmiṣṭhaḥ priyadharmo harapriyaḥ | gṛhīto nigaḍaistena hyekāṃte sthāpitaśca saḥ
That king too—most steadfast in dharma, a lover of righteousness and dear to Hara (Śiva)—was seized by him in fetters and confined in a secluded place.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The confinement of a ‘Hara-priya’ king is a narrative device: the devotee’s external bondage mirrors the paśu’s metaphysical bondage, preparing for Śiva’s liberating response.
Significance: Instructional: even a righteous Śiva-bhakta may undergo tirodhāna (concealment) as a prelude to anugraha (grace).
FAQs
It highlights that even a deeply dharmic devotee—“dear to Hara”—may face bondage and hardship; in Shaiva Siddhanta this underscores the reality of pāśa (bondage) and the need for Shiva’s grace (anugraha) to transcend it.
By calling the king ‘harapriya’ (beloved of Shiva), the verse frames his identity through devotion to Saguna Shiva (Hara); such narratives commonly prepare the ground for Shiva’s intervention, often connected with Jyotirlinga contexts in the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā.
Maintain dharma and inward remembrance of Hara—especially japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—as the core sādhana when outer circumstances feel like ‘fetters’ (nigaḍa).