Shloka 53
नरकयातनावर्णनम् / Description of Hell-Torments for Specific Transgressions
यः करोति महापापं धर्म्मं चरति वै लघु । धर्म्मं गुरुतरं वापि तथावस्थे तयोः शृणु
yaḥ karoti mahāpāpaṃ dharmmaṃ carati vai laghu | dharmmaṃ gurutaraṃ vāpi tathāvasthe tayoḥ śṛṇu
Quien comete un gran pecado y, sin embargo, practica sólo un poco de dharma —o incluso realiza una obra de rectitud más grave—, escucha lo que acontece a ambos en tal condición.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; it introduces the doctrine of mixed karma (mahāpāpa alongside laghu/gurutara dharma) and its resultant ‘weighing’—a prelude to explaining karmic adjudication and possible uplift.
Significance: Promotes prāyaścitta, sustained dharma, and turning toward Śiva’s grace; emphasizes that even amidst pāpa, dharma has consequential force (though not always immediately liberating).
Role: teaching
FAQs
It introduces the Shaiva ethical principle that karma is assessed by the real weight of one’s actions—serious wrongdoing and genuine dharma both bear results—preparing the listener for a teaching on how merit and demerit are reconciled through right conduct and Shiva-oriented purification.
In the Uma Saṁhitā’s devotional-philosophical frame, turning toward Saguna Shiva (Linga worship with faith) becomes the practical means by which a sinner reforms: dharma is strengthened through devotion, restraint, and surrender to Shiva as Pati who loosens pāśa (bondage).
The implied takeaway is to increase dharma through Shiva-centered practice—regular japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), disciplined vrata, and purificatory observances such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa with sincere repentance.