Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 11
सत्याः पुनस्तपश्चर्या — Satī’s Return to Austerity (Tapas) and Fearless Liṅga-Worship
स तु विष्टब्धसर्वांगो बुभुक्षापरिपीडितः । ममामिषं ततो नान्यदिति मत्वा निरन्तरम्
sa tu viṣṭabdhasarvāṃgo bubhukṣāparipīḍitaḥ | mamāmiṣaṃ tato nānyaditi matvā nirantaram
しかし彼は全身をこわばらせ、飢えの責めに苦しみつつ、絶え間なくこう思い続けた。「この肉は我がものだ。これ以外に食うべきものはない」。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights how hunger and possessiveness (“this is mine”) can harden the embodied being, turning consciousness inward toward craving. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, such mamatā and desire function as pāśa (bondage) that keeps the paśu (individual soul) from turning to Pati (Shiva) for liberation.
Linga-worship trains the mind to shift from grasping at transient enjoyments to steady remembrance of Shiva as the true support. This verse depicts the opposite movement—fixation on “my enjoyment”—and thereby implicitly points toward Saguna Shiva devotion as the remedy that purifies craving into surrender.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Panchakshara mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to interrupt compulsive thought-streams, along with simple disciplines like vibhūti (Tripuṇḍra) and mindful fasting on auspicious Shiva days to transform hunger into devotion rather than possessiveness.