Shloka 8
कामविवाहवर्णनम् / Description of Kāma’s Marriage
अथ तां वीक्ष्य मदनो रत्याख्यां स्वस्त्रियं शुभाम् । आत्मा गुणेन विद्धोसौ मुमोह रतिरंजितः
atha tāṃ vīkṣya madano ratyākhyāṃ svastriyaṃ śubhām | ātmā guṇena viddhosau mumoha ratiraṃjitaḥ
Alors Kāma (Madana), voyant sa propre épouse de bon augure nommée Rati, fut transpercé par son charme envoûtant ; son esprit s’éprit, tomba dans l’illusion, et fut remué par la passion.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It illustrates how even the presiding deity of desire becomes bound by moha (delusion) when the mind is struck by attractive guṇas; in Shaiva thought, liberation arises by turning the same inner attention toward Śiva, the Pati, rather than toward binding pāsas like kama.
The verse contrasts sense-driven fascination with the steadiness cultivated in Saguna Śiva-upāsanā (such as Linga worship), where the mind is trained to rest in Śiva’s form and presence, weakening kama and redirecting emotion into bhakti.
A practical takeaway is sense-restraint supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and simple daily Linga-pūjā with bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) as a reminder to burn desire into devotion.