Shloka 55
नरकलोकमार्गयमदूतस्वरूपवर्णनम् / Description of the Path to Naraka and the Nature of Yama’s Messengers
विविधा व्याधयः कुष्ठा नानारूपा भयावहाः । शक्तिशूलांकुशधराः पाशचक्रासिपाणयः
vividhā vyādhayaḥ kuṣṭhā nānārūpā bhayāvahāḥ | śaktiśūlāṃkuśadharāḥ pāśacakrāsipāṇayaḥ
Various diseases—leprosies of many kinds, taking diverse and terrifying forms—appeared bearing weapons: holding spears, tridents, and goads, and carrying nooses, discs, and swords in their hands.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Āghoramūrti
FAQs
The verse personifies disease and suffering as fearsome, weapon-bearing forces—an image of pasha (bondage) that torments the bound soul (paśu). In a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such afflictions point to karmic limitation and the need to seek Shiva (Pati) as the liberator who removes fear and impurity.
By portraying suffering as an active, threatening power, the text implicitly directs the devotee toward Saguna Shiva—approached through the Linga—as refuge and protector. Linga-worship centers the mind on Shiva’s grace, which pacifies fear and counters the forces that bind the soul.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Linga-dhyana, supported by Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as reminders of renunciation and protection, especially during Mahashivratri vows.