Shloka 10
Ghuśmā–Sudehā: Jealousy, Household Honor, and the Ethics of Śaiva Merit (गुश्मा–सुदेहा प्रसङ्गः)
भर्त्ता प्रियां तां ज्येष्ठां च मेने नैव कनिष्ठिकाम् । तथापि सा तदा ज्येष्ठा स्वान्तर्मलवती ह्यभूत्
bharttā priyāṃ tāṃ jyeṣṭhāṃ ca mene naiva kaniṣṭhikām | tathāpi sā tadā jyeṣṭhā svāntarmalavatī hyabhūt
The husband regarded that beloved wife as the elder one, not as the younger. Yet at that time, though called “the elder,” her inner being was indeed tainted by impurity.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It contrasts outer status (being treated as “elder” and favored) with inner condition: in Shaiva thought, true auspiciousness depends on purification of mala (inner impurity), not social designation or preference.
Linga-worship is repeatedly taught as a means of inner cleansing—approaching Saguna Shiva with devotion and discipline is meant to remove mala and steady the mind, so outer honor does not become a cause for pride or inner decline.
A practical takeaway is antahkaraṇa-śuddhi: daily Shiva-japa (especially the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and sincere self-examination to reduce inner mala.