Shloka 51
नरकयातनावर्णनम् / Description of Hell-Torments for Specific Transgressions
निश्शेषतः कशाभिस्तु पीड्यते क्रमशः पुनः । बुभुक्षयातिकष्टं हि तथायाति पिपासया
niśśeṣataḥ kaśābhistu pīḍyate kramaśaḥ punaḥ | bubhukṣayātikaṣṭaṃ hi tathāyāti pipāsayā
मग पुन्हा क्रमाने त्याला अखंड फटकार्यांनी छळले जाते. भुकेने तो अतिशय कष्ट भोगतो आणि तसाच तहानेनेही व्याकुळ होतो।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Kālabhairava
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a Jyotirliṅga; continues the naraka pedagogy: repeated torment, hunger and thirst as karmic fruition.
Significance: Ethical spur: fasting/vrata and disciplined consumption become purificatory when aligned with dharma and Śiva-bhakti.
Shakti Form: Durgā
Role: protective
FAQs
The verse underscores the Shaiva Siddhanta view that the bound soul (paśu) experiences the concrete results of karma under the constraint of bondage (pāśa), and that suffering is a consequence of actions until grace and right conduct lead toward liberation.
By highlighting the harsh cycle of karmic suffering, it implicitly points the seeker toward taking refuge in Saguna Shiva—worship of the Linga with devotion and discipline—as a purifying path that loosens bondage and turns the mind toward Shiva’s grace.
The practical takeaway is repentance and purification: regular Shiva worship with the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), along with inner restraint and ethical living, to reduce karmic causes that lead to such suffering.