Shloka 88
मेनायाः क्रोध-विलापः — Menā’s Lament and Reproach
to the Sage
सहायास्तादृशा लोके धन्या ह्यसि वदामि किम् । धर्मस्याधारभूतासि कथं धर्मं जहासि हि
sahāyāstādṛśā loke dhanyā hyasi vadāmi kim | dharmasyādhārabhūtāsi kathaṃ dharmaṃ jahāsi hi
A helper like you is rare in this world—truly you are blessed; what more can I say? You are the very support of dharma itself—how then can you abandon dharma?
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse upholds dharma as the stabilizing power that sustains spiritual life; Shiva affirms that one who supports dharma becomes worthy of divine grace, and that abandoning dharma disrupts the path toward Shiva-realization.
Linga/Saguna Shiva worship in the Shiva Purana is not mere ritual—its fruit depends on dharmic conduct. Shiva’s words indicate that devotion must be grounded in righteousness, purity, and faithful observance, which make worship efficacious.
Maintain a dharmic vrata alongside Shiva-upasana—daily japa of the Panchakshara ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), and disciplined conduct (truthfulness, restraint, compassion) as the inner support of the outer worship.