Shloka 18
Arjuna’s Mantra-Empowerment and the Pāṇḍavas’ Separation (Śiva-rūpa through Mantra)
व्यास उवाच । राज्ञस्तु नलनाम्नो वै निषधाधिपतेः पुरा । भवद्दुःखाधिकं दुःखं जातन्तस्य महात्मनः
vyāsa uvāca | rājñastu nalanāmno vai niṣadhādhipateḥ purā | bhavadduḥkhādhikaṃ duḥkhaṃ jātantasya mahātmanaḥ
Vyāsa said: Formerly, for that great-souled King Nala, the lord of Niṣadha, there arose a sorrow even greater than the sorrow you now endure.
Vyasa
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
FAQs
The verse frames suffering as a comparative teaching tool: by recalling the deeper sorrow endured by a noble king, the listener is guided toward steadiness, detachment, and turning the mind toward Śiva, the liberator (Pati) who alone dissolves the bonds of distress.
Though not naming the Liṅga directly, the narrative method is devotional: worldly grief is contextualized so the seeker may seek refuge in Saguna Śiva—approached through liṅga-worship, mantra, and surrender—rather than being trapped by the pasha (bond) of sorrow.
A practical takeaway is to respond to grief with japa and remembrance: repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with a calm mind, offering one’s burden to Śiva in daily liṅga-pūjā or simple mental worship.