Shloka 18
Munipraśna-varṇana
Description of the Sages’ Inquiry
क्षत्रियाश्च तथा सर्वे स्वधर्मत्यागशीलिनः । असत्संगाः पापरता व्यभिचारपरायणाः
kṣatriyāśca tathā sarve svadharmatyāgaśīlinaḥ | asatsaṃgāḥ pāparatā vyabhicāraparāyaṇāḥ
And the Kṣatriyas too—indeed, all of them—grew inclined to forsake their own ordained duty (svadharma). They kept company with the unvirtuous, delighted in sin, and devoted themselves to misconduct and infidelity.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
The verse depicts dharma’s decline through abandonment of svadharma and indulgence in sinful association—classic signs of bondage (pāśa). In Shaiva understanding, such moral fall strengthens impurity and attachment, obstructing devotion to Pati (Shiva) and delaying liberation.
When society turns to adharma, the Shiva Purana repeatedly presents Saguna Shiva—worshiped as the Linga—as the accessible refuge for purification and restoration of right conduct. Linga-bhakti, guided by dharma, counteracts the tendencies named here: bad company, sin, and moral deviation.
Implied remedies are Shaiva purification and steadiness in dharma: regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), Linga-pūjā with devotion, and adopting sāttvic conduct by avoiding asat-saṅga; Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa are traditionally upheld as supports for discipline and remembrance of Shiva.