Shloka 40
सुद्युम्नश्च महाराजश्शैवो मुनिसुतो मुने । शिवशापात्प्रियाहेतोरभून्नारी ससेवकः
sudyumnaśca mahārājaśśaivo munisuto mune | śivaśāpātpriyāhetorabhūnnārī sasevakaḥ
O sage, King Sudyumna—devoted to Śiva and born as a sage’s son—because of Śiva’s curse (incurred for the sake of his beloved), became a woman, along with his attendants.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga account; it narrates Śiva’s śāpa affecting a king, illustrating divine governance over dharma and transgression.
Significance: Serves as a moral-theological exemplar: Śiva’s concealment/discipline can redirect the soul; devotion remains the refuge even amid karmic reversal.
FAQs
It shows Śiva as the moral and cosmic governor (Pati) whose decree reshapes embodied life; the sudden change of gender underscores impermanence and the binding power of karma, while devotion to Śiva remains the stabilizing refuge.
The verse highlights Saguna Śiva acting within history through curse and grace; in Linga-worship, devotees approach this same Lord as the accessible form who purifies transgressions and redirects the soul toward dharma and liberation.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with humility and self-restraint, along with Śiva-smaraṇa (remembrance) to accept life’s reversals as Śiva’s discipline and purifying guidance.