Shloka 23
यममार्गे सुखदायकधर्माः
Dharmas that Grant Ease on the Path to Yama
नास्ति क्षुधासमं दुःखं नास्ति रोगः क्षुधासमः । नास्त्यरोगसमं सौख्यं नास्ति क्रोधसमो रिपुः
nāsti kṣudhāsamaṃ duḥkhaṃ nāsti rogaḥ kṣudhāsamaḥ | nāstyarogasamaṃ saukhyaṃ nāsti krodhasamo ripuḥ
There is no sorrow equal to hunger; there is no disease equal to hunger. There is no happiness equal to freedom from illness; and there is no enemy equal to anger.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga narrative; it is a gnomic teaching (nīti) identifying hunger and anger as primary afflictors—bondages that obscure discernment.
Significance: Ethical purification: conquering kṣudhā (through right sustenance/charity) and krodha (through restraint) supports steadiness for worship and contemplation.
FAQs
It frames hunger and anger as primary causes of duḥkha and bondage: hunger weakens steadiness in dharma, while anger becomes the fiercest inner ripu that obstructs devotion and clarity needed for Shiva-realization.
Linga-worship emphasizes purity of mind and self-restraint; anger and uncontrolled craving disturb upāsanā. By mastering these, the devotee becomes fit for steady Saguna Shiva-bhakti and deeper contemplation of Shiva as Pati beyond pasha.
Adopt vrata-like discipline (measured fasting and mindful eating), pair it with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to cool krodha, and maintain daily inner vigilance so anger does not become the ‘enemy’ in sadhana.