Shloka 21
यममार्गे सुखदायकधर्माः
Dharmas that Grant Ease on the Path to Yama
गर्भस्था जायमानाश्च बालवृद्धाश्च मध्यमाः । आहारमभिकांक्षंति देवदानवराक्षसाः
garbhasthā jāyamānāśca bālavṛddhāśca madhyamāḥ | āhāramabhikāṃkṣaṃti devadānavarākṣasāḥ
Whether abiding in the womb, newly born, young, aged, or in their prime—gods, dānavas, and rākṣasas alike all long for nourishment, for food.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; the verse frames a universal embodied condition (all classes of beings, all life-stages) dependent on āhāra, preparing the ground for annadāna as dharma.
Significance: General dharma-teaching: recognizing shared dependence softens enmity and supports compassionate giving, which becomes a preparatory virtue for Śiva-bhakti.
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It highlights a universal mark of bound existence (pāśa): even exalted beings, from devas to rākṣasas, share dependence on nourishment—showing that embodied life is conditioned by need, and liberation is found only in Pati (Śiva), who alone is truly independent.
By emphasizing shared dependence and limitation, the verse indirectly points seekers toward Saguna Śiva worship (Liṅga-upāsanā) as a practical refuge: devotion and discipline purify craving and gradually orient the soul from bodily dependence toward Śiva-consciousness.
Practice moderation and offering: take food as prasad after dedicating it to Śiva, and support japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to transform basic hunger into disciplined sādhana.