Shloka 29
दधीच-शाप-हेतु-वर्णनम् / The Cause of Dadhīca’s Curse
Explaining Viṣṇu’s Role at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
सत्येनान्येन सूक्ष्माग्रान्मृत्युपाशाद्भवः स्वयम् । वंधमोक्षकरो यस्मादुर्वारुकमिव प्रभुः
satyenānyena sūkṣmāgrānmṛtyupāśādbhavaḥ svayam | vaṃdhamokṣakaro yasmādurvārukamiva prabhuḥ
By Truth—and by subtle inner means as well—Bhava (Lord Śiva) Himself releases the embodied being from the noose of death; for that Lord bestows both bondage and liberation, like a ripe cucumber effortlessly severed from its vine.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Śiva Purāṇa discourse to the sages)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Frames Śiva as the sole bestower of both bondage and liberation; remembrance of Bhava and adherence to satya are presented as direct means to loosen mṛtyu-pāśa (death-bondage).
Cosmic Event: mṛtyu-pāśa (existential death-bondage) as the operative cosmic condition
FAQs
It presents Śiva (Bhava) as Pati—the sovereign Lord who alone can cut the soul free from mṛtyu-pāśa (the bondage of death). Liberation is shown as ripening through satya (truthfulness) and subtle inner realization, culminating in Śiva’s grace.
In the Śiva Purāṇa, worship of Saguna Śiva—often through the Śiva-liṅga—trains the devotee in satya, purity, and one-pointed devotion. Such worship matures the soul so that Śiva, the prabhu, grants the ‘cucumber-like’ release: effortless detachment from worldly bondage at the time of ripeness.
The verse points to satya (ethical truthfulness) and sūkṣma-sādhana (subtle inward practice): steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” liṅga-dhyāna, and prayer for Śiva’s grace to be freed from mṛtyu-pāśa.