Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 31
शङ्खचूडकृततपः—ब्रह्मवरकवचप्राप्तिः / Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Austerity—Brahmā’s Boon and the Bestowal of the Kavaca
तस्य किं ज्ञानसुतपो जपहोम प्रपूजनैः । विद्यया दानतः किं वा स्त्रीभिर्यस्य मनो हृतम्
tasya kiṃ jñānasutapo japahoma prapūjanaiḥ | vidyayā dānataḥ kiṃ vā strībhiryasya mano hṛtam
ಅವನಿಗೆ ಜ್ಞಾನವೂ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ತಪಸ್ಸೂ ಏನು ಪ್ರಯೋಜನ? ಜಪ, ಹೋಮ, ವಿಶದ ಪೂಜೆಗಳಿಂದ ಏನು ಫಲ? ಸ್ತ್ರೀವಿಷಯಾಸಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಕಸಿದುಕೊಂಡವನಿಗೆ ವಿದ್ಯೆ ಮತ್ತು ದಾನವೂ ಏನು ಉಪಕಾರ?
Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a site narrative; it is a soteriological critique: spiritual means (jñāna, tapaḥ, japa, homa, pūjā, dāna) are rendered ineffective when the mind is seized by kāma/āsakti.
Significance: Directs aspirants to cultivate mastery of mind and senses (indriya-nigraha) so that Śiva-upāsanā becomes transformative rather than merely performative.
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
The verse teaches that outer religious merits—knowledge, austerity, ritual, charity—do not bear liberating fruit if the mind remains captivated by kāma (desire) and attachment; Shaiva Siddhanta emphasizes purification of the inner instrument (antaḥkaraṇa) as essential for Shiva’s grace.
Linga worship and Saguna Shiva devotion are meant to transform consciousness, not merely perform ceremonies; if desire dominates the mind, worship becomes external and mechanical, whereas true Linga-bhakti cultivates restraint, clarity, and surrender that open one to Shiva’s anugraha (grace).
The implied practice is disciplined japa (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with sense-restraint (brahmacarya/indriya-nigraha), supported by Shaiva observances like bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and mindful worship that redirects the mind from craving to Shiva.