Shloka 20
कामप्रहारः — The Subduing of Kāma (Desire) / Kāma’s Assault and Its Futility
क्षणमात्रं रतिस्तत्र विसंज्ञा साभवत्तदा । भर्तृमृत्युजदुःखेन पतिता सा मृता इव
kṣaṇamātraṃ ratistatra visaṃjñā sābhavattadā | bhartṛmṛtyujaduḥkhena patitā sā mṛtā iva
அங்கே ரதி ஒரு கணம் மயக்கமடைந்தாள். கணவனின் மரணத்தால் எழுந்த துயரால் தாக்கப்பட்டு அவள் விழுந்தாள்; இறந்தவள்போல் தோன்றினாள்.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Rudra
Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga passage; it narrates the immediate human-divine aftermath of Kāma’s destruction (Kāma-dahana).
Significance: Contemplation of this episode is used to cultivate dispassion (vairāgya) and recognition of kāma as a pāśa (bondage) that collapses before Rudra’s ordinance.
FAQs
It highlights how kama (desire) and attachment can collapse into intense duḥkha when their object is lost, pointing the seeker toward Shaiva Siddhanta’s refuge in Pati (Shiva) as the stable ground beyond worldly emotions.
Kamadeva’s destruction and Rati’s grief occur in the context of Shiva’s ascetic, Saguna presence—showing that the Linga/Saguna Shiva represents mastery over passion and the power to dissolve bondage (pāśa) so the devotee can seek higher union through devotion.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a mind of restraint, supported by Shaiva disciplines like applying Tripuṇḍra bhasma and cultivating vairāgya (dispassion) when grief or desire overwhelms.