Shloka 6
महापातकवर्णनम् (Mahāpātaka-varṇanam) — “Description of Great Sins and Their Consequences”
इत्येतद्वा दशविधं कर्म प्रोक्तं त्रिसाधनम् । अस्य भेदान्पुनर्वक्ष्ये येषां फलमनंतकम्
ityetadvā daśavidhaṃ karma proktaṃ trisādhanam | asya bhedānpunarvakṣye yeṣāṃ phalamanaṃtakam
Thus this tenfold religious discipline has been declared—accomplished through three means of practice. Now I shall again describe its further divisions, whose fruits are without end.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Frames dharma as structured sādhana with ‘three means’ (tri-sādhana), aligning with Śaiva Siddhānta’s graded path (caryā/kriyā/yoga/jñāna) culminating in grace; emphasizes inexhaustible merit when discipline is Śiva-oriented.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse frames Shaiva practice as a structured discipline: a “tenfold” path supported by three core means, promising inexhaustible spiritual merit that culminates in purification and liberation under Pati (Shiva).
By emphasizing “karma” and “sādhana,” it points to embodied worship—Linga-sevā, pūjā, vrata, and mantra—performed with devotion to Saguna Shiva as a purifying gateway toward realizing Shiva’s highest truth.
It implies a disciplined regimen combining outward observance and inner practice—typically mantra-japa (notably the Panchākṣarī), regulated worship, and meditative contemplation—whose subtypes are to be detailed in the subsequent verses.