Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 41
तारकवाक्य-शक्रविष्णुवीरभद्रयुद्धवर्णनम् — Account of Tāraka’s declarations and the battle involving Śakra (Indra), Viṣṇu, and Vīrabhadra
तारकेणाऽपि तत्रैव यत्कृतं कर्म दुःखदम् । स्वनाशकारणं धर्मविरुदं तन्निबोध मे
tārakeṇā'pi tatraiva yatkṛtaṃ karma duḥkhadam | svanāśakāraṇaṃ dharmavirudaṃ tannibodha me
میری بات سے سمجھ لو—تارک نے وہیں جو کام کیا، وہ دکھ دینے والا، دھرم کے خلاف، اور اپنے ہی ہلاکت کا سبب بننے والا تھا۔
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Moral instruction within the Tāraka cycle: adharmic action becomes the seed of self-destruction—classic karmic bondage (pāśa) leading to downfall.
Significance: Ethical sādhanā: encourages dharma-aligned conduct and Śiva-bhakti to avoid self-made ruin; frames suffering as karmaphala.
FAQs
It teaches that adharma is intrinsically self-destructive: actions opposed to dharma ripen as suffering and become the cause of one’s downfall, binding the soul rather than leading it toward Shiva’s grace and liberation.
Linga-worship represents alignment with Shiva as the upholder of dharma; this verse contrasts that alignment with Tāraka’s dharma-violating conduct, implying that devotion must be supported by righteous living to avoid karmic ruin.
A practical takeaway is dharma-based sādhanā: daily japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with self-restraint and ethical conduct, so one’s karma becomes purifying rather than pain-giving.