Shloka 12
पापभेदवर्णनम्
Classification of Sins / Taxonomy of Pāpa
देवाग्निगुरुसाधूनां निन्दया ब्राह्मणस्य च । प्रत्यक्षं वा परोक्षं वा राज्ञां मण्डलिनामपि
devāgnigurusādhūnāṃ nindayā brāhmaṇasya ca | pratyakṣaṃ vā parokṣaṃ vā rājñāṃ maṇḍalināmapi
To censure the gods, the sacred fire (Agni), one’s teachers, and holy persons—and to revile a brāhmaṇa—whether openly or in secret, and likewise to speak ill of kings and rulers, is a grave fault that obstructs dharma and diminishes the fruit of Śiva-worship.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it states an ethical-ritual impediment: nindā of devas, agni, guru, sādhu, brāhmaṇa, and rulers—directly or indirectly—spoils dharma and obstructs the fruit of Śiva-upāsanā.
Significance: Instructs devotees to preserve śraddhā and social-sacral harmony; slander is treated as a major obstacle (aparādha) that diminishes worship’s efficacy.
FAQs
It teaches that spiritual progress in Śiva-bhakti is not only ritual but ethical: slandering devas, Agni, guru, sādhus, brāhmaṇas, or rulers creates aparādha that agitates the mind and tightens pāśa (bondage), reducing receptivity to Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
Liṅga-worship is meant to cultivate purity, reverence, and humility before Saguna Śiva; hostile speech toward sacred supports of dharma contradicts that attitude, so the worship becomes externally performed but internally obstructed by offence.
Guard speech (mauna/saṃyama) before pūjā, offer Śiva-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī) with a vow to avoid nindā, and perform a brief confession-prāyaścitta—mentally seeking forgiveness from Śiva and the offended sacred persons—before applying bhasma or beginning worship.