Shloka 30

Devanagari script

वृक्षांस्तान्पर्यगृह्णन्ति मधु वा माक्षिकं बलात् तासां तेनोपचारेण पुनर्लोभकृतेन वै

Transliteration

vṛkṣāṃstānparyagṛhṇanti madhu vā mākṣikaṃ balāt tāsāṃ tenopacāreṇa punarlobhakṛtena vai

Translation

ಲೋಭವಶರಾಗಿ ಅವರು ಆ ವೃಕ್ಷಗಳನ್ನು ಬಲಾತ್ಕಾರವಾಗಿ ಹಿಡಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಅಥವಾ ಜೇನುನೊಣಗಳ ಜೇನನ್ನೂ ಬಲದಿಂದ ಕಸಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹೊಸ ಲೋಭವನ್ನು ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸಲು ಮಾತ್ರ ಮಾಡಿದ ಅದೇ ‘ಉಪಚಾರ’ದಿಂದ ಅವರು ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಲೋಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗುತ್ತಾರೆ.

Word by Word

• वृक्षान् (vṛkṣān): trees

• तान् (tān): those

• पर्यगृह्णन्ति (paryagṛhṇanti): they seize, take hold of

• मधु (madhu): honey

• वा (vā): or

• माक्षिकम् (mākṣikam): belonging to bees, bees’ honey

• बलात् (balāt): by force

• तासाम् (tāsām): of them (the bees/those beings)

• तेन (tena): by that

• उपचारॆण (upacāreṇa): by the mode of attending/service/handling

• पुनः (punaḥ): again

• लोभकृतेन (lobha-kṛtena): produced by greed, done for greed

• वै (vai): indeed.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It warns that external acts become spiritually sterile when driven by lobha; Linga-puja bears fruit only when the Pashu approaches Pati (Shiva) with purity, not with grasping or exploitation.

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

By implication, Shiva as Pati is the liberator from pasha (bondage) such as greed; the verse highlights how worldly craving repeatedly rebinds the soul, contrasting with Shiva-tattva as the ground of freedom and inner restraint.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It points to the yogic discipline of vairagya (dispassion) and ethical restraint—key supports for Pashupata-oriented practice—so that worship and conduct do not become instruments of renewed desire.