Shloka 19
पावकोऽपि जगच्छ्रेष्ठो मोहितश्शिवमायया । कामाधीनः कृतो गर्वात्ततस्तेनैव चोद्धृतः
pāvako'pi jagacchreṣṭho mohitaśśivamāyayā | kāmādhīnaḥ kṛto garvāttatastenaiva coddhṛtaḥ
Aun Pāvaka (Agni), tenido por el más excelso entre las potencias del mundo, fue engañado por la Māyā de Śiva. Por orgullo quedó sometido al deseo; y luego, por ese mismo poder del Señor, fue nuevamente elevado y rescatado.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages, as typical framing for the Shiva Purana’s discourses)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadashiva
FAQs
It teaches that even exalted cosmic powers can be bound by ego (garva) and desire (kāma) through Śiva’s veiling power (Māyā), and that liberation comes only when the same Lord bestows upliftment—pointing to dependence on Śiva’s grace rather than one’s status.
The verse underscores that Saguna Śiva—worshipped as the Liṅga and as the personal Lord (Pati)—governs both bondage and release. Liṅga-bhakti cultivates surrender, dissolving pride and redirecting desire into devotion, making the devotee receptive to Śiva’s anugraha (saving grace).
A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a humility-vow, along with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) remembrance that all power and glory are transient—offering desire and ego into Śiva-bhakti rather than letting them rule the mind.