Shloka 16
ज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्य-प्रस्तावना तथा सोमनाथ-प्रसङ्गः
Prologue to the Glory and Origin of the Jyotirliṅgas; Somnātha Episode Begins
चन्द्रोऽपि बलवद्भाविवशान्मेने न तद्वचः । रोहिण्यां च समासक्तो नान्यां मेने कदाचन
candro'pi balavadbhāvivaśānmene na tadvacaḥ | rohiṇyāṃ ca samāsakto nānyāṃ mene kadācana
ಆದರೆ ಚಂದ್ರನೂ ದೈವವಶದಿಂದಲೂ ತನ್ನ ಪ್ರಬಲ ಆಸಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದಲೂ ಆ ಉಪದೇಶವನ್ನು ಪಾಲಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ. ರೋಹಿಣಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಗಾಢವಾಗಿ ಆಸಕ್ತನಾಗಿ, ಇತರ ಪತ್ನಿಯರನ್ನು ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಸಮಾನವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; it is the Dakṣa–Candra domestic-ethical narrative that sets up Candra’s curse and later Śiva’s salvific intervention in the broader mythic cycle.
Significance: Didactic: warns against rāga (exclusive attachment) and adharma in household duties; prompts recourse to Śiva for restoration through grace.
FAQs
It highlights how attachment (rāga) and the momentum of karma can eclipse right discernment, becoming a pasha (bond) that turns one away from dharma—an obstacle Shaiva teaching urges devotees to transcend through Shiva-oriented detachment and devotion.
The narrative illustrates the mind’s tendency to cling to one object of desire; Linga-worship and Saguna Shiva-bhakti re-center that same focus toward Shiva, transforming fixation into disciplined devotion and gradually loosening worldly bonds.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a vow of restraint (niyama), using Shiva-bhakti to reduce possessiveness and cultivate equanimity.