Shloka 29
महापातकवर्णनम् (Mahāpātaka-varṇanam) — “Description of Great Sins and Their Consequences”
देवद्विजगवां भूमिं प्रदत्तां हरते तु यः । प्रनष्टामपि कालेन तमाहुर्ब्रह्मघातकम्
devadvijagavāṃ bhūmiṃ pradattāṃ harate tu yaḥ | pranaṣṭāmapi kālena tamāhurbrahmaghātakam
Whoever seizes land duly granted to the gods, to Brahmins, or to cows—even if, in the course of time, that grant seems lost or forgotten—is declared a perpetrator of brahmahatyā, a slayer of a Brahmin.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana teaching on dharma to the sages)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse functions as dharma-śāstra within the Umāsaṃhitā, protecting deva/dravya and brāhmaṇa-gavya endowments as sacred trust (īśvara-arpita).
Significance: Ethical purity (ācāra-śuddhi) is presented as prerequisite for Śiva-bhakti; violating temple/brāhmaṇa/cow endowments incurs brahmahatyā-tulya demerit, obstructing anugraha.
FAQs
It teaches that violating sacred trust—especially by seizing land dedicated to divine worship, Brahminical duties, or the protection of cows—creates a heavy karmic bond (pāśa) that obstructs purity, devotion, and liberation.
Land given to devas commonly supports temples, yajñas, and Linga-worship; taking it disrupts Shiva’s ordained dharma of sustaining worship and service, turning one away from Saguna Shiva’s grace expressed through righteous conduct.
The practical takeaway is to protect and honor sacred donations; if one has participated in such wrongdoing, one should seek purification through repentance, charity, and steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a dharmic resolve.