Shloka 16
नभगोपाख्यानम्
Nabhaga-Upākhyāna: The Account of Nabhaga and Shiva-Jñāna
मनुरुवाच । तदुक्तं मादृथास्तात प्रतारणकरं हि तत् । न ह्यहं परमं दायं सर्वथा भोगसाधनम्
manuruvāca | taduktaṃ mādṛthāstāta pratāraṇakaraṃ hi tat | na hyahaṃ paramaṃ dāyaṃ sarvathā bhogasādhanam
Manu said: “As has been said—do not grieve, dear son. Indeed, that would only lead to deception and delusion. For I do not at all regard the supreme inheritance as a mere instrument for enjoyment; the highest bequest is not worldly pleasure, but the right path that leads the soul toward Śiva.”
Manu
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
FAQs
Manu teaches that grief and fixation on worldly gain become a cause of self-deception; the highest “inheritance” is dharma and the inward orientation that matures into devotion and liberation under Śiva’s grace.
By rejecting “inheritance” as mere enjoyment, the verse redirects the seeker from bhoga to upāsanā—approaching Saguna Śiva through Linga-worship as a disciplined means to purify desire and turn toward the Supreme.
The takeaway is vairāgya supported by daily Śiva-upāsanā—steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple Linga-pūjā as a restraint on indulgence and a support for clarity.