Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 17
शुक्रनिग्रहः — The Seizure/Neutralization of Śukra (Kāvya) and the Daityas’ Despondency
ये स्वामिनं विहायातो बहुमानधना जनाः । यांति ते यांति नियतमंधतामिस्रमालयम्
ye svāminaṃ vihāyāto bahumānadhanā janāḥ | yāṃti te yāṃti niyatamaṃdhatāmisramālayam
Ceux qui délaissent leur Seigneur et, orgueilleux de l’honneur et des richesses, se détournent de Lui—ceux-là vont assurément au séjour d’Andhatāmisra, la ténèbre aveuglante.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana account to the sages, Rudrasaṃhitā context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Type: stotra
FAQs
It warns that abandoning Shiva (Pati), while clinging to ego, status, and wealth, leads to inner blindness—symbolized as Andhatāmisra—because the soul (paśu) remains bound by pāśas like pride and attachment rather than turning toward grace and liberation.
In Shaiva practice, the Śiva-liṅga is a tangible focus for devotion and surrender. Rejecting the Lord while exalting worldly honor is the opposite of liṅga-upāsanā, which trains the mind to bow, offer, and remember Shiva as the true refuge beyond transient wealth.
Cultivate humility through daily Shiva-pūjā—offer water to the liṅga, wear tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder of impermanence, and repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to dissolve pride and reorient the mind toward Shiva.