Shloka 25
महापातकवर्णनम् (Mahāpātaka-varṇanam) — “Description of Great Sins and Their Consequences”
ब्राह्मणं यः समाहूय दत्त्वा यश्चाददाति च । निर्द्दोषं दूषयेद्यस्तु स नरो ब्रह्महा भवेत्
brāhmaṇaṃ yaḥ samāhūya dattvā yaścādadāti ca | nirddoṣaṃ dūṣayedyastu sa naro brahmahā bhavet
Whoever summons a brāhmaṇa and, after giving the promised gift, takes it back; and whoever maligns a faultless brāhmaṇa—such a person becomes a brahmahā, a slayer of a brāhmaṇa.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Purana teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya, within Umāsaṃhitā discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Highlights that brahmahatyā extends to betrayal and defamation of the blameless; reinforces satya-dāna and guru-brāhmaṇa honor as prerequisites for fruitful tīrtha-yātrā and liṅga-sevā.
Role: teaching
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It warns that harming a blameless brāhmaṇa—by retracting promised charity or by false accusation—creates grave pāpa akin to brahmahatyā, obstructing merit and the soul’s progress toward Shiva’s grace (anugraha).
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is inseparable from dharmic conduct; devotion (bhakti) to Saguna Shiva bears fruit when paired with truthfulness, non-malice, and honoring worthy recipients of dāna, which purifies the devotee’s pasha (bondage).
Maintain a vrata of truthful charity (dāna) and disciplined speech; if performing Shiva-puja (with bhasma, rudrākṣa, or japa of the Panchakshara), couple it with non-defamation and non-retraction of vows to keep the worship spiritually effective.