Shloka 25
नरकलोकमार्गयमदूतस्वरूपवर्णनम् / Description of the Path to Naraka and the Nature of Yama’s Messengers
महीशीतेन मरुता रूक्षेण परुषेण च । समंताद्बाध्यमानाश्च शुष्यंते संकुचन्ति च
mahīśītena marutā rūkṣeṇa paruṣeṇa ca | samaṃtādbādhyamānāśca śuṣyaṃte saṃkucanti ca
大地より来たる冷たき風、乾きて荒々しきそれに四方から打たれ、衆生はしおれ乾き、縮みすぼまり収縮する。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Āghoramūrti
Sthala Purana: No Jyotirliṅga linkage; the earth-chilled, harsh wind that withers beings is a ‘concealment’ motif—life-force is constricted under pāśa, producing contraction (saṅkoca) and dryness (śoṣa).
Significance: Teaches vairāgya: sensory life becomes ‘dry’ under bondage; motivates seeking Śiva’s anugraha through devotion and purification.
Cosmic Event: A desiccating, ground-cold wind: environmental torment imagery emphasizing depletion and contraction.
FAQs
It highlights the vulnerability of embodied life to external forces, pointing to the Shaiva Siddhanta view that the pashu (bound soul) suffers under pasha (bondage) and needs refuge in Pati—Lord Shiva—for freedom.
By showing how the world can parch and constrict the embodied being, it implicitly directs the devotee toward stabilizing worship—taking shelter in Saguna Shiva through Linga-upasana as a steady support amid changing conditions.
Cultivate detachment and steadiness through japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and regular Shiva worship; these practices counter the mind’s contraction under hardship and orient it toward Shiva as the liberating Pati.