Shloka 28
नरकयातनावर्णनम् / Description of Hell-Torments for Specific Transgressions
शिवायतनपर्य्यंते देवारामेषु कुत्रचित् । समुत्सृजंति ये पापाः पुरीषं मूत्रमेव च
śivāyatanaparyyaṃte devārāmeṣu kutracit | samutsṛjaṃti ye pāpāḥ purīṣaṃ mūtrameva ca
Those sinful people who, anywhere within the precincts of Śiva’s shrine and in sacred divine gardens, relieve themselves—passing stool and urine—commit a grave offense against the sanctity of the Lord’s abode.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: General kṣetra-apacāra teaching: defilement within Śiva’s āyatana and deva-ārāma is treated as a grave offense that obstructs merit and invites karmic retribution; not tied here to a specific Jyotirliṅga origin legend.
Significance: Implied: maintaining śauca (purity) and maryādā (temple-boundary discipline) preserves puṇya and receptivity to Śiva’s anugraha; violation hardens pāśa through karma-mala.
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva’s temple-space is a charged sacred field; violating its purity through careless bodily acts is an aparādha that hardens impurity (mala) and obstructs devotion and inner clarity.
Liṅga-worship depends on reverence for the Lord’s presence in the sanctum and its surroundings; honoring the temple precincts is part of honoring Saguna Śiva manifest as the liṅga and the consecrated kṣetra.
Maintain śauca (cleanliness) before and during darśana—use designated places outside the sacred precincts, bathe or wash if needed, and approach with mantra-japa (e.g., the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) in a disciplined, respectful state.