Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 35
शिवविहारवर्णनम् (Śivavihāra-varṇana) — “Description of Śiva’s Divine Pastimes/Sojourn”
मोहिनीसहितं चन्द्रं चकार विरतं रतौ । महर्षिर्गौतमस्तस्य स्त्रीविच्छेदो बभूव ह
mohinīsahitaṃ candraṃ cakāra virataṃ ratau | maharṣirgautamastasya strīvicchedo babhūva ha
Avec Mohinī à ses côtés, (le Seigneur) fit que Candra (la Lune) cessât de s’abandonner aux plaisirs amoureux; et pour cette Lune, advint la séparation d’avec son épouse—ainsi le rapporte la tradition.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shakti Form: Mohinī
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Graha-devatā moral correction motif; separation as karmic rebalancing
FAQs
The verse highlights that unrestrained desire (kāma) binds the soul (paśu) through karma, while restraint and dharma restore balance; in Shaiva thought, such mastery supports purification needed for Shiva’s grace (pati-anugraha).
Saguna Shiva is portrayed as the moral governor who corrects disorder in the cosmos and in beings; Linga-worship similarly trains the devotee toward inner purity, aligning conduct with Shiva’s dharma so devotion becomes transformative rather than merely ritual.
A practical takeaway is sense-restraint supported by Shiva-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—along with vrata observance (such as Mahāśivarātri discipline) and simple bhasma/tripuṇḍra practice to remember purity and detachment.