Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 34
मित्रसह-राज्ञो रक्षत्व-शापकथा — The Curse that Turns King Mitrasaha into a Rakshasa
Vasiṣṭha’s Śāpa Narrative
राजोवाच । मुने मां बाधते ह्येषा ब्रह्महत्या दुरत्यया । अलक्षिता परैस्तात तर्जयंती पदेपदे
rājovāca | mune māṃ bādhate hyeṣā brahmahatyā duratyayā | alakṣitā paraistāta tarjayaṃtī padepade
王は言った。「聖者よ、この越え難き重罪、すなわちバラモン殺しの罪が私を苦しめております。人には見えずとも、尊き御方よ、それは一歩ごとに私を脅かし責め立てるのです。」
The King (Rāja)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The verse frames brahmahatyā as an unseen pursuing force; in Purāṇic tīrtha-kathā patterns, such afflictions are later resolved by Śiva’s grace through liṅga-darśana, vrata, or tīrtha-snāna.
Significance: Acknowledging bondage (pāśa) is the first step toward Śiva’s anugraha; confession before a holy seer is treated as a purifier and gateway to prescribed Śaiva remedies.
FAQs
It shows how grave karma becomes an inner, inescapable suffering, and points toward the Shaiva Siddhanta theme that only right expiation joined with devotion to Pati (Shiva) can loosen the bonds of pasha.
In the Kotirudra context, the afflicted seeker approaches Shiva’s accessible Saguna form—especially through Jyotirlinga worship—as a compassionate refuge where confession, surrender, and prescribed worship lead toward purification.
The verse implies the need for prayaschitta supported by Shiva-bhakti—regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and disciplined purity practices (such as bhasma/Tripundra and Rudraksha, as taught elsewhere in the Purana) under a guru’s guidance.