Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 21
Nāgeśa-jyotirliṅga-prādurbhāvaḥ — The Manifestation of the Nāgeśa Jyotirliṅga
सूत उवाच । विचार्येति च ते तत्र दारुकाद्याश्च राक्षसाः । उपायं न विजानन्तो दुःखं प्राप्तास्सदा हि वै
sūta uvāca | vicāryeti ca te tatra dārukādyāśca rākṣasāḥ | upāyaṃ na vijānanto duḥkhaṃ prāptāssadā hi vai
Sūta nói: Sau khi bàn tính tại đó, bọn rākṣasa do Dāruka cầm đầu—không sao nhận ra phương kế nào—quả thật rơi vào nỗi khổ triền miên.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It highlights that beings who lack the right “upāya” (true spiritual means) remain trapped in duḥkha; in Shaiva Siddhanta, relief comes through turning toward Pati (Śiva) with devotion and right understanding rather than merely worldly calculation.
The verse sets up the contrast between rākṣasic reliance on strategy and the Shaiva path where refuge in Saguna Śiva—often approached through Linga worship—becomes the effective upāya when other measures fail.
The practical takeaway is to adopt a genuine upāya: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with Shiva-bhakti; where appropriate, support it with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steadiness and remembrance.