Shloka 46
पार्वत्याः तपः—हिमालयादिभिः उपदेशः / Pārvatī’s Austerity and Counsel from Himālaya and Others
तत्र गत्वा च ते देवास्त्वां मुने प्रैषयंस्तदा । पश्यतो दूरतस्तस्थुः कामभस्मकृतोहरात्
tatra gatvā ca te devāstvāṃ mune praiṣayaṃstadā | paśyato dūratastasthuḥ kāmabhasmakṛtoharāt
Having gone there, those gods then dispatched you, O sage. And while you watched, they stood at a distance—after Hara (Śiva) had reduced Kāma to ashes.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Reference to Kāma being burnt to ashes (Kāma-dahana) situates the scene in the mythic context of Śiva’s ascetic wrath, not a Jyotirliṅga locale.
Significance: Contemplation of Kāma-dahana is used to subdue desire (kāma) and recognize Śiva as the destroyer of bondage (pāśa) through saṃhāra and grace.
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva as Hara, the remover of bondage: when desire (Kāma) is reduced to bhasma, the devas themselves keep distance, showing that uncontrolled passion is a force even gods fear, while Śiva’s tapas and grace alone can neutralize it—pointing to liberation through mastery of the senses and devotion to Pati (Śiva).
Kāma’s burning is a līlā of Saguna Śiva (Hara) demonstrating His sovereign power over the guṇas and impulses; worship of the Liṅga trains the mind toward Śiva as the stable center, where desire is offered and transformed into sacred ash (bhasma) rather than allowed to bind the jīva.
A practical takeaway is cultivating vairāgya with Śiva-upāsanā: apply bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) as a reminder that passions end in ash, and steady the mind with japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” offering desire into Śiva’s inner fire (tapas) through meditation.