Shloka 29
Strī-svabhāva-kathanam: Nārada–Pañcacūḍā-saṃvāda
Discourse on Dispassion via the Nārada–Pañcacūḍā Dialogue
नाग्निस्तुष्यति काष्ठानां नापगानां महोदधि । नान्तकस्सर्वभूतानां न पुंसां वामलोचनाः
nāgnistuṣyati kāṣṭhānāṃ nāpagānāṃ mahodadhi | nāntakassarvabhūtānāṃ na puṃsāṃ vāmalocanāḥ
Le feu n’est jamais rassasié par le bois ; le grand océan n’est jamais comblé par les fleuves. La Mort n’est jamais repue en dévorant les êtres—de même, pour les hommes, le charme des femmes aux beaux yeux ne s’épuise jamais. Ainsi, le désir, lorsqu’on le suit, ne fait que croître ; le contentement naît de la maîtrise de soi et du retournement du cœur vers Śiva, le Seigneur qui accorde la délivrance.
Lord Shiva (in the Umāsaṃhitā’s didactic discourse to Umā/Parvati on vairāgya and mastery of desire)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: General teaching applicable to all liṅga-kṣetras: cultivating vairāgya and turning to Śiva as the true gati is said to mature the soul toward liberation.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that worldly appetite is intrinsically insatiable—like fire fed by wood—so liberation requires vairāgya (dispassion) and redirecting the mind toward Pati (Śiva), rather than endlessly feeding desire.
By showing the limits of sense-gratification, the verse supports turning to Saguna Śiva—worship of the Liṅga, mantra, and devotion—as a stable refuge that purifies craving and leads the seeker from bondage (pāśa) toward grace.
Practice japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” maintain purity with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and disciplined senses, and meditate on Śiva as the inner witness to cool the ‘fire’ of desire.