Shloka 25

दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः

Devanagari script

श्रूयते ऋषिशापेन ब्रह्मणस्तु महात्मनः समृद्धश्रेयसां योनिर् यज्ञा वै नाशमाप्तवान्

Transliteration

śrūyate ṛṣiśāpena brahmaṇastu mahātmanaḥ samṛddhaśreyasāṃ yonir yajñā vai nāśamāptavān

Translation

聞くところによれば、リシ（ṛṣi）の呪詛によって、大いなる魂をもつブラフマー（Brahmā）のヤジュニャ（yajña）――豊かな吉祥を生む胎――さえも、ついに破滅へと落ちた。

Word by Word

• श्रूयते: it is heard/it is traditionally reported

• ऋषिशापेन: by the curse of a rishi (seer)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā

• तु: indeed/however

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one

• समृद्धश्रेयसाम्: of those possessing abundant welfare/merit and prosperity

• योनिः: womb/source/cause

• यज्ञः: sacrifice/ritual offering

• वै: indeed/verily

• नाशम्: destruction/ruin

• आप्तवान्: attained/reached

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Rishi (unnamed)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It establishes that even a highly meritorious yajña can collapse when higher dharma is violated; in Shaiva framing, ritual becomes fruitful when aligned to Pati (Shiva) and not treated as an autonomous source of power.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, it contrasts limited, karma-bound ritual efficacy with the supremacy of divine order: Pati’s anugraha (grace) is the stabilizing principle, while yajña alone remains within pasha (bondage) and can be overturned.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A cautionary teaching for karma-kāṇḍa: yajña must be performed with humility, right intention, and Shaiva orientation; otherwise the practitioner remains a pashu bound by pasha, lacking the liberating current emphasized in Pāśupata discipline.