Shloka 4
Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa-prasaṅgaḥ — Genealogy of the Ikṣvāku Line and Exempla of Royal Dharma
भक्षयित्वा शशं शीघ्रं शशादत्वमतो गतः । इक्ष्वाकुणा परित्यक्तश्शशादो वनमाविशत
bhakṣayitvā śaśaṃ śīghraṃ śaśādatvamato gataḥ | ikṣvākuṇā parityaktaśśaśādo vanamāviśata
તે ઝડપથી સસલું ભક્ષી ‘શશાદ’ (શશ-ભક્ષક) નામે ઓળખાયો. ઇક્ષ્વાકુ રાજાએ ત્યજી દીધા પછી શશાદ વનમાં પ્રવેશ્યો.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages, within the Umāsaṃhitā narrative flow)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It highlights how impulsive, desire-driven action leads to a changed identity and consequence—bondage (pāśa) expressed as social fall and exile—urging self-restraint and dharmic conduct on the path toward Shiva’s grace.
Though not directly describing Liṅga worship, the episode sets a moral backdrop: purification of conduct and control of senses are prerequisites for fruitful Saguna Shiva worship, where devotion is strengthened by ethical discipline.
A practical takeaway is sense-restraint with japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a daily discipline to curb impulsive craving and reorient the mind toward Shiva.