Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 45
मन्दरगिरिवर्णनम् — Description of Mount Mandara as Śiva’s Residence
Tapas-abode
मां वै त्रिदशसामान्यं मन्यमानो मनोभवः । मनाक्परिभवं कुर्वन्मया वै भस्मसात्कृतः
māṃ vai tridaśasāmānyaṃ manyamāno manobhavaḥ | manākparibhavaṃ kurvanmayā vai bhasmasātkṛtaḥ
Me prenant pour simplement l’égal des dieux, Manobhava (Kāma) m’a traité avec un léger mépris ; c’est pourquoi, par Moi, il fut réduit en cendres.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Kālabhairava
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla embodies Śiva as Time who subdues pride; this verse’s ash-making (bhasmīkaraṇa) of Kāma for disrespect mirrors Mahākāla’s disciplining of cosmic forces (thematic resonance).
Significance: Meditation on Śiva’s supremacy over devas and passions; inspires vairāgya and humility, and is linked in practice to bhasma and Rudra-bhakti.
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It asserts Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord beyond the devas—and teaches that desire (Kāma) cannot dominate the yogic consciousness of Shiva; when approached with disrespect or ego, it is “burnt” into bhasma, symbolizing the transmutation of passion into dispassion and inner purity.
In Saguna worship, Shiva is revered as the transcendent Lord who is not merely one among the gods; Linga-bhakti emphasizes this supremacy and the inner stillness of Shiva, where kāma is subdued—an essential attitude for approaching the Linga with humility and devotion.
The verse points to cultivating vairāgya and purity: apply Tripuṇḍra-bhasma with remembrance of Shiva’s mastery over desire, and practice steady japa (e.g., “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with sense-restraint so that kāma is reduced to “ashes” within.