Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 30
शिवविहारवर्णनम् (Śivavihāra-varṇana) — “Description of Śiva’s Divine Pastimes/Sojourn”
भ्रष्टज्ञानो नष्टकीर्त्तिरलक्ष्मीको भवेदिह । प्रयात्यंते कालसूत्र वर्षलक्षं स पातकी
bhraṣṭajñāno naṣṭakīrttiralakṣmīko bhavediha | prayātyaṃte kālasūtra varṣalakṣaṃ sa pātakī
That sinner becomes here one whose true discernment has fallen away, whose good name is ruined, and who is afflicted by misfortune. After death, he is taken to the Kālasūtra hell and remains there for a hundred thousand years.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic teaching to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: KalaBhairava
Shakti Form: Kali
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: post-mortem judgment; naraka-bhoga in Kālasūtra
FAQs
It warns that pāpa erodes jñāna (right discernment) and kīrti (noble standing), producing alakṣmī (spiritual and worldly inauspiciousness), and that karma bears post-death consequences until the soul turns back toward Shiva-centered dharma.
By emphasizing karmic downfall, it implicitly directs the devotee to Saguna Shiva worship—Linga-sevā, śraddhā, and moral restraint—as a stabilizing path that restores jñāna and purifies pāpa through Shiva’s grace.
Take up purification through Shiva-bhakti: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), Linga-abhiṣeka with sincere repentance, and adopting Shaiva disciplines such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and ethical vows to prevent further pāpa.