Shloka 16

महापातकवर्णनम् (Mahāpātaka-varṇanam) — “Description of Great Sins and Their Consequences”

Devanagari script

असंस्कृतप्रदेशेषु यथेष्टं स्वापयंति च । शिवज्ञानकथाऽऽक्षेपं यः कृत्वान्यत्प्रभाषते

Transliteration

asaṃskṛtapradeśeṣu yatheṣṭaṃ svāpayaṃti ca | śivajñānakathā''kṣepaṃ yaḥ kṛtvānyatprabhāṣate

Translation

ते असंस्कृत प्रदेशांत मनासारखे झोपतात; आणि जो शिवज्ञानकथा मध्येच तोडून दुसरे बोलतो—तो बद्ध जीवाला पति (शिव) कडे नेणाऱ्या मार्गापासून विमुख होतो।

Word by Word

असंस्कृतप्रदेशेषुin unrefined/uncultured places

यथेष्टम्as one likes, at will

स्वापयन्तिmake (someone) sleep

चand

शिवज्ञानकथाक्षेपम्disparagement/objection to the discourse on Śiva-knowledge

यःhe who

कृत्वाhaving done/made

अन्यत्something else

प्रभाषतेspeaks forth, talks

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Purana teachings to the sages, Umāsaṃhitā context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It warns that negligence, laziness, and distraction—especially interrupting Śiva-jñāna kathā—strengthen pasha (bondage) in the pashu (individual soul), whereas attentive śravaṇa supports the soul’s return toward Pati, Lord Śiva.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Linga/Saguna worship is sustained by right understanding and reverent listening; disrupting Shiva-knowledge discourse replaces sacred remembrance with worldly speech, weakening bhakti and the inner orientation required for Linga-upāsanā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice disciplined śravaṇa and manana: attend Śiva-kathā without interruption, keep wakeful attention (avoid tamasic sleepiness), and support it with japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—before or after satsanga.