Shloka 45
Niṣādasya Bhillasya Itihāsaḥ — Śivarātri-vrata-prabhāvaḥ
The Hunter’s Account and the Efficacy of the Śivarātri Observance
परिणीता स्त्रियं हित्वा गच्छत्यन्यां च यः पुमान् । वेदधर्मं समुल्लंघ्य कल्पितेन च यो व्रजेत्
pariṇītā striyaṃ hitvā gacchatyanyāṃ ca yaḥ pumān | vedadharmaṃ samullaṃghya kalpitena ca yo vrajet
That man who abandons his lawfully wedded wife and goes to another woman, and who—overstepping the Vedic rule of dharma—acts by notions of his own making, strays from the ordained path and falls into adharma.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is a dharma-śāstric admonition within Purāṇic narration: marital fidelity and Veda-grounded conduct are presented as safeguards against karmic bondage.
Significance: Frames ethical discipline (niyama) as integral to Śiva-bhakti; adharma in household life undermines spiritual progress and merit.
FAQs
It teaches that ethical restraint and adherence to Vedic dharma are foundations for Shaiva sadhana; violating marital duty and acting on self-invented “rules” strengthens pasha (bondage) and obstructs grace and liberation.
Linga-worship is not merely external ritual; Saguna Shiva is pleased by purity of conduct and dharmic living. This verse frames worship as effective when supported by self-control and fidelity, aligning the devotee’s life with Shiva’s order (ṛta/dharma).
The implied takeaway is purification through dharmic vows and disciplined worship—regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), wearing rudraksha and applying tripundra with sincerity—while avoiding conduct that breaks Vedic restraints.