Shloka 33

Munipraśna-varṇana

Description of the Sages’ Inquiry

Devanagari script

कुहावभावनिरताः कुशीलास्स्मरविह्वलाः । जारसंगरता नित्यं स्वस्वामिविमुखास्तथा

Transliteration

kuhāvabhāvaniratāḥ kuśīlāssmaravihvalāḥ | jārasaṃgaratā nityaṃ svasvāmivimukhāstathā

Translation

They remain absorbed in deception and pretence, of corrupted conduct and shaken by the fever of lust. Ever delighting in illicit unions, they turn away from their rightful spouses and from their own duties.

Word by Word

• कुहावभाव-निरताः: engaged in deceitful conduct
• कुहावभाव-निरताः: विशेषण (Adjectival to implied subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुहा (प्रातिपदिक) + वभाव (प्रातिपदिक) + निरत (कृदन्त; √रम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (निरत = engaged)

• कु-शीलाः: of bad character
• कु-शीलाः: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; उपसर्ग/उपपद-पूर्वक समास (कु- = bad)

• स्मर-विह्वलाः: distressed by passion (love)
• स्मर-विह्वलाः: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मर (प्रातिपदिक) + विह्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्मरेण विह्वलाः)

• जार-सङ्ग-रताः: devoted to association with a paramour
• जार-सङ्ग-रताः: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जार (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (कृदन्त; √रम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (रत = devoted)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: क्रियाविशेषण
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• स्व-स्वामि-विमुखाः: turned away from their own husbands
• स्व-स्वामि-विमुखाः: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वामि (प्रातिपदिक) + विमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्वामिनः प्रति विमुखाः)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: सम्बन्धसूचक (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकार: उपमान/समुच्चयार्थ (also/likewise)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Kali-yuga kāma-prādhānya (dominance of desire) as bondage (pāśa)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It diagnoses kāma (lust) and kuhā (deceit) as forms of pasha—bondage that turns the soul away from dharma and inward purity, obstructing devotion to Shiva and the path to liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is repeatedly linked with śuddhi (purification) and self-restraint; this verse contrasts such purity with adulterous attachment and hypocrisy, implying that true Saguna Shiva worship reforms conduct, not merely external ritual.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is brahmacarya/indriya-nigraha (sense-restraint) supported by japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and vrata discipline (as in Mahāśivarātri observances) to cool lust and stabilize the mind.