Shloka 67
पार्वत्याः यात्रासंस्कारः तथा पातिव्रत्योपदेशः / Preparations for Girijā’s Auspicious Journey and the Teaching on Pātivratya
गृहस्थस्स हि विज्ञेयो यस्य गेहे पतिव्रता । ग्रस्यतेऽन्यान्प्रतिदिनं राक्षस्या जरया यथा
gṛhasthassa hi vijñeyo yasya gehe pativratā | grasyate'nyānpratidinaṃ rākṣasyā jarayā yathā
He alone should truly be known as a householder, in whose home there is a devoted, faithful wife (pativratā); for she, like a demoness called Old Age, consumes others day after day.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; uses a striking simile (jarā as rākṣasī) to stress discernment in household life and the need for dharmic order.
Significance: Ethical teaching: vigilance against time/decay and disorder in gṛhastha life; encourages disciplined Śaiva living as protection against ‘devouring’ forces.
Cosmic Event: jarā (aging) personified as an ever-consuming force
FAQs
It frames true household life as disciplined dharma: the home becomes spiritually meaningful when fidelity and restraint support inner purification, reminding the seeker that time (jarā) steadily “devours” worldly attachments and therefore devotion and right conduct must not be delayed.
By stressing dharmic order in the home, it supports Saguna Shiva worship as lived practice: a stable, righteous household becomes a proper setting for daily Linga-pūjā, mantra-japa, and offerings performed with purity and self-control.
The takeaway is urgency and regularity: perform daily Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and simple Linga worship at home, remembering impermanence (jarā) and using disciplined family life to sustain steady sādhana.