Shloka 31
वसन्त-प्रभावः तथा काम-उद्दीपन-वर्णनम् | Spring’s Influence and the Arousal of Kāma
शिव उवाच । कि मुखं किं शशांकश्च किं नेत्रे चोत्पले च किम् । भ्रुकुट्यौ धनुषी चैते कंदर्पस्य महात्मनः
śiva uvāca | ki mukhaṃ kiṃ śaśāṃkaśca kiṃ netre cotpale ca kim | bhrukuṭyau dhanuṣī caite kaṃdarpasya mahātmanaḥ
சிவன் கூறினான்— ‘முகம் என்ன? நிலா என்ன? கண்கள் என்ன? தாமரை என்ன? இவ்விரு வளைந்த புருவங்களே மகாத்மா கந்தர்ப்பனின் வில்ல்கள்.’
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
Śiva poetically redefines worldly standards of beauty, pointing to how desire (Kāma) operates through the senses, while implying that the devotee should recognize and transcend such sense-born fascination through devotion to Pati (Śiva).
In Saguna worship, devotees may approach Śiva through form, beauty, and līlā; this verse acknowledges the power of attraction yet subtly places it under Śiva’s sovereignty—guiding the mind from sensory charm toward steady Linga-bhakti and inner stillness.
Practice japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with breath awareness, and consciously withdraw attention from sense-objects (rūpa, rasa, etc.), offering the arising of desire into Śiva as an inner oblation.