Shloka 22
पूर्वगतिवर्णनम् (Pūrvagati-varṇana) — “Description of the Prior Course / Earlier Lineage Account”
नरस्त्रियः सम्भवन्तु तिस्रोऽपि ज्ञानमोहिताः । स्वकर्मणः प्रभणावे लभध्वं फलमीदृशम्
narastriyaḥ sambhavantu tisro'pi jñānamohitāḥ | svakarmaṇaḥ prabhaṇāve labhadhvaṃ phalamīdṛśam
“Let men and women—indeed all the three conditions of embodied life—be deluded by knowledge. Yet, in the very unfolding and consequence of one’s own actions, may you obtain a fruit such as this.”
Suta Goswami (narrating the Parvati Khanda account to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
The verse highlights that even what is taken as “knowledge” can become a veil (moha) for embodied beings; nevertheless, karma inevitably ripens. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, liberation comes when the soul turns from deluding cognition toward Shiva as Pati, allowing grace to loosen the bonds of karma.
Since karmic consequence continues while delusion persists, Saguna Shiva worship—Linga-puja with mantra and purity—functions as a practical means to reorient the mind, reduce bondage, and invite Shiva’s anugraha (grace), which alone can culminate the soul’s release.
A direct takeaway is to counter delusion with steady Shiva-upasana: japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), Linga worship, and purifying disciplines like Tripundra (bhasma) and Rudraksha, performed with humility to transform karmic momentum.