Shloka 18
बाणस्य शोकः शिवस्मरणं च — Bāṇa’s Grief and the Turn to Śiva-Remembrance
निर्वैरता च विबुधैर्विष्णुना च विशेषतः । न पुनर्दैत्यता दुष्टा रजसा तमसा युता
nirvairatā ca vibudhairviṣṇunā ca viśeṣataḥ | na punardaityatā duṣṭā rajasā tamasā yutā
Even the gods—Vishnu in particular—abide in a state free from enmity; but the wicked demon-nature does not, for it is bound to rajas and tamas.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it is a guṇa-psychology contrast: devas (sāttvika orientation) tend toward nirvaira, while daitya-disposition remains bound to rajas-tamas.
Significance: Didactic: pilgrimage is internalized as guṇa-śuddhi—reducing rajas/tamas to dissolve hostility and cultivate sāttvika peace.
FAQs
It contrasts a divine disposition—marked by nirvaira (freedom from hatred)—with the asuric disposition that remains trapped in rajas and tamas, implying that inner purification and sattva are prerequisites for dharma and liberation.
Linga-worship of Saguna Shiva is meant to transform the devotee’s inner qualities: devotion, purity, and restraint reduce rajas-tamas and cultivate sattva, which naturally expresses as non-enmity and reverence toward all beings.
A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a sattvic vow of non-hatred, supported by simple Shaiva disciplines like applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and maintaining restraint to weaken rajas and tamas.