Shloka 78

Devanagari script

गन्तुमर्हसि नाशाय भो तूर्णं पुरवासिनाम् धर्मास् तथा प्रणश्यन्तु श्रौतस्मार्ता न संशयः

Transliteration

gantumarhasi nāśāya bho tūrṇaṃ puravāsinām dharmās tathā praṇaśyantu śrautasmārtā na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

ഹേ പ്രഭോ! നഗരവാസികളുടെ നാശത്തിനായി നിങ്ങൾ വേഗത്തിൽ പോകേണ്ടതാണ്. അപ്പോൾ അവരുടെ ശ്രൗതവും സ്മാർത്തവും ആയ ധർമ്മങ്ങൾ സംശയമില്ലാതെ നശിക്കും.

Word by Word

• gantum: to go

• arhasi: you are fit/you ought

• nāśāya: for destruction

• bho: O!/O sir

• tūrṇam: quickly

• pura-vāsinām: of the residents of the city

• dharmāḥ: religious duties/ordinances

• tathā: likewise/then

• praṇaśyantu: may they perish/be destroyed

• śrauta-smārtāḥ: those based on Śruti (Veda) and Smṛti (tradition)

• na saṃśayaḥ: no doubt/without uncertainty

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating an internal exhortation within the episode)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the sovereign Pati who can withdraw even śrauta and smārta religious structures when they become disconnected from true devotion; Linga-worship is implied as the higher Shaiva grounding beyond mere formal ritualism.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as the decisive cosmic authority: He can dissolve social-religious order (dharma) to end bondage-producing systems, reasserting Pati’s governance over pashus bound by pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed; the takeaway is that external śrauta-smārta observances, without Shaiva alignment, are vulnerable—implying the primacy of Shiva-bhakti and Pashupata-oriented inner discipline over mere formalism.