Shloka 43
अतः पत्नीं द्विजाग्र्याय दत्त्वा निर्मुक्तकिल्विषः । सद्यो वह्निं प्रवेक्ष्यामि कीर्तिश्च विदिता भवेत्
ataḥ patnīṃ dvijāgryāya dattvā nirmuktakilviṣaḥ | sadyo vahniṃ pravekṣyāmi kīrtiśca viditā bhavet
“Therefore, having given my wife to that foremost of brāhmaṇas, I shall be freed from sin. I will at once enter the fire, and my fame will become well known.”
Suta Goswami (narrating the episode within Śatarudrasaṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
The verse highlights a mindset of prāyaścitta (atonement) and the desire to be “released from sin,” but it also implies that mere dramatic self-punishment is not the same as true inner purification; in Shaiva Siddhanta, lasting pāpa-kṣaya is fulfilled by right conduct, devotion, and taking refuge in Pati (Śiva), not by ego-driven notions of “fame.”
Though the Liṅga is not named here, the Śiva Purāṇa’s broader teaching is that turning to Saguna Śiva (as the compassionate Lord who grants purification) is superior to impulsive acts of self-destruction; worship, surrender, and dharmic rectification are presented as the stable means of cleansing the bonds (pāśa).
The practical takeaway is prāyaścitta aligned with bhakti: confession, restraint, charity without harm, and Śiva-upāsanā—such as japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and adopting Śaiva disciplines (bhasma/tripuṇḍra and rudrākṣa where prescribed)—rather than self-immolation.