Shloka 15
महापातकवर्णनम् (Mahāpātaka-varṇanam) — “Description of Great Sins and Their Consequences”
अन्यायतः प्रयच्छंति शृण्वन्त्युच्चारयंति च । विक्रीडंति च लोभेन कुज्ञाननियमेन च
anyāyataḥ prayacchaṃti śṛṇvantyuccārayaṃti ca | vikrīḍaṃti ca lobhena kujñānaniyamena ca
They dispense it (teaching or handing it out) in an unrighteous way; they listen to it and recite it too. Driven by greed, they even treat it as a plaything—bound by the disciplines of false knowledge.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya, within the Umāsaṃhitā’s discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
The verse warns that sacred teaching and recitation become spiritually fruitless when driven by adharma and greed; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such “ku-jñāna” strengthens pāśa (bondage) rather than leading the paśu toward Pati (Shiva).
Linga-worship and Saguna Shiva upāsanā demand śraddhā and purity; treating mantra, stotra, or ritual as a commodity or entertainment turns devotion into mere performance, obscuring Shiva’s grace (anugraha) that arises from sincere practice.
A practical takeaway is to chant Shiva-mantra (especially the Pañcākṣarī) with right intention, restraint, and reverence—avoiding show, bargaining, or greed—while aligning conduct with dharma (optionally supported by Tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa as aids to disciplined remembrance).