Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 43
नारदमोहवर्णनम् — Description of Nārada’s Delusion
न शुश्राव यथार्थं तु तद्वाक्यं स्मरविह्वलः । पर्यैक्षच्छ्रीमतीं तां वै तल्लिप्सुर्मोहितो मुनिः
na śuśrāva yathārthaṃ tu tadvākyaṃ smaravihvalaḥ | paryaikṣacchrīmatīṃ tāṃ vai tallipsurmohito muniḥ
欲望の動揺に呑まれたその聖仙は、彼女の言葉の真意をついに聞き取れなかった。迷妄に覆われ、彼女を得んとする思いに駆られて、その麗しき貴婦人を幾度も幾度も見つめ続けた。
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
It shows how kāma (desire) clouds discernment: when the mind is bound by moha, one cannot hear “yathārtha” (truth as it is). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, this is pasha (bondage) obscuring the soul’s clear knowing, which is purified through devotion and restraint.
The verse contrasts sense-driven fixation with Shiva-oriented contemplation. Linga/Saguna Shiva worship gathers the mind from outward grasping to inward steadiness, turning attention from “possessing” to “surrendering,” which loosens pasha and aligns the devotee with Shiva’s grace.
A practical takeaway is to counter desire with japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple discipline (indriya-nigraha). If practiced, Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha are traditional Shaiva aids for recollection and steadiness, though the verse chiefly emphasizes mental restraint.