Shloka 21
Pitṛbhakti and Śrāddha: The Classification of Pitṛs and the Superiority of Pitṛ-kārya
आर्तवत्स तु तं वत्सं प्रतिजग्राह वै द्विजः । मिथ्योपचारतः पापमभूत्तेषां च गोघ्नताम्
ārtavatsa tu taṃ vatsaṃ pratijagrāha vai dvijaḥ | mithyopacārataḥ pāpamabhūtteṣāṃ ca goghnatām
Out of tender, distressed compassion for the calf, the brāhmaṇa accepted that calf. Yet, because the transaction was conducted through a false pretext, sin arose for them, and they incurred the taint of ‘cow-slaying’.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is an ethical-karmic turning point: compassion is present, but deception (mithyopacāra) produces grave doṣa (goghna-taint).
Significance: Warns that dharma is not merely external form: concealment/duplicity (tirodhāna) veils right intention and yields bondage. Siddhānta stresses that karma binds when mixed with mala and adharma; only Śiva’s anugraha plus rectitude dissolves pāśa.
FAQs
It teaches that even a compassionate act can bind one in pāpa if it is carried out through deception; Shaiva dharma emphasizes purity of intention and purity of means, since karma (pāśa) arises from both.
Linga-worship is grounded in śuddhi (purity) and satya (truth). This verse underlines that devotion to Saguna Shiva must be supported by truthful conduct; otherwise, ritual merit is obstructed by karmic taint.
Practice satya and ahiṃsā as preparatory vows, then perform Shiva worship with repentance and inner purification—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and bhasma-dhāraṇa as reminders to avoid deceit and harm.