Shloka 9
देवा ऊचुः । गुरो हिमालयगृहं गच्छास्मत्कार्य्यसिद्धये । तत्र गत्वा प्रयत्नेन कुरु निन्दाञ्च शूलिनः
devā ūcuḥ | guro himālayagṛhaṃ gacchāsmatkāryyasiddhaye | tatra gatvā prayatnena kuru nindāñca śūlinaḥ
The gods said: “O Guru, go to the house of Himālaya so that our purpose may be fulfilled. Having gone there, strive deliberately and speak words of censure against Śūlin (Lord Śiva).”
The Devas (gods)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Rudra
Sthala Purana: The verse initiates the Himālaya-house episode: devas attempt to influence the Śiva–Pārvatī narrative by dispatching their guru to Himālaya and instructing him to censure Śiva (Śūlin).
Significance: Functions as a cautionary narrative: even devas can engage in aparādha-like speech; the text later reasserts Śiva’s transcendence and the primacy of devotion over blame.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It shows how even celestial beings can act from limited aims, urging actions like slander that oppose dharma; the Shaiva view highlights that hostility toward Śiva (Pati) only deepens bondage (pāśa), while reverence and surrender lead toward grace and liberation.
Śūlin is a Saguna epithet of Śiva (the Trident-bearer); the verse contrasts slander with proper devotional orientation—Linga/Saguna worship is upheld in the Purana as a means to align speech and mind with Śiva rather than turning them into instruments of nindā.
A practical takeaway is to avoid nindā and instead stabilize speech in japa—especially the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—supported by simple Shaiva observances like applying tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and cultivating devotion.