Shloka 16
Ghuśmā–Sudehā: Jealousy, Household Honor, and the Ethics of Śaiva Merit (गुश्मा–सुदेहा प्रसङ्गः)
सर्वांगं खण्डयामास रात्रौ घुश्मासुतस्य सा । नीत्वा सरसि तत्रैवाक्षिपद्दृप्ता महाबला
sarvāṃgaṃ khaṇḍayāmāsa rātrau ghuśmāsutasya sā | nītvā sarasi tatraivākṣipaddṛptā mahābalā
ആ അഹങ്കാരിയും മഹാബലവതിയുമായ സ്ത്രീ രാത്രിയിൽ ഘുഷ്മയുടെ പുത്രന്റെ അവയവങ്ങൾ ഓരോന്നായി മുറിച്ചു; പിന്നീട് അവനെ കൊണ്ടുപോയി ആ തടാകത്തിൽ തന്നെ എറിഞ്ഞു.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Jyotirlinga: Ghṛṣṇeśvara
Sthala Purana: In the Ghuśmā episode, the son is murdered and cast into the lake where Ghuśmā daily immersed her worshipped earthen liṅgas; Śiva later manifests grace at that very spot, establishing the fame of Ghṛṣṇeśvara as the Lord who responds to steadfast liṅga-bhakti even amid extreme cruelty.
Significance: Assurance of Śiva’s anugraha to sincere devotees; removal of calamity and restoration after injustice; strengthening of niṣkāma-bhakti and kṣamā (forgiveness).
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
FAQs
It depicts the extreme cruelty born of pride and jealousy, setting the stage for the Purana’s Shaiva teaching that steadfast devotion to Lord Shiva (Pati) protects the devotee beyond the shocks of karma and worldly loss.
This violent act becomes the narrative contrast to Ghuśmā’s Linga-centered bhakti: Saguna Shiva, approached through the Linga, is shown as the compassionate Lord who upholds dharma and restores spiritual order when devotion is firm.
The implied takeaway is to hold to daily Shiva-upasana—especially japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and Linga worship—with a calm mind even in adversity, rather than reacting from anger or pride.