Shloka 7
Arjuna–Gaṇa Saṃvāda: Bāṇādhikāra, Tāpasa-veṣa, and the Ethics of Tapas (अर्जुन-गणसंवादः)
रेखारूपं च पिच्छानि मन्नामांकित एव च । त्वदीयश्च कथं जातः स्वभावो दुस्त्यजस्तव
rekhārūpaṃ ca picchāni mannāmāṃkita eva ca | tvadīyaśca kathaṃ jātaḥ svabhāvo dustyajastava
“These line-like marks and these plumes are indeed inscribed with My Name. Yet how has this nature of yours become ‘your own’—a disposition so hard for you to abandon?”
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
FAQs
The verse highlights Shiva’s role as Pati (the Lord) who reveals and corrects the devotee’s “dustyaja svabhava”—deep-rooted tendencies that bind the soul (paśu). True progress in bhakti and moksha comes by recognizing such habits and offering them to Shiva for purification.
It reflects Saguna Shiva’s compassionate, personal guidance: Shiva not only receives worship but also instructs the devotee inwardly, reshaping character. Linga-worship in Shaiva Siddhanta is not merely external ritual; it aims at inner transformation—reducing pasha (bondage) through Shiva’s grace.
A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with self-observation: identify the ‘hard-to-abandon’ habit, confess it mentally before Shiva (at the linga or in meditation), and resolve to replace it with a Shaiva virtue such as humility, restraint, and devotion.