Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 8
कामविवाहवर्णनम् / Description of Kāma’s Marriage
अथ तां वीक्ष्य मदनो रत्याख्यां स्वस्त्रियं शुभाम् । आत्मा गुणेन विद्धोसौ मुमोह रतिरंजितः
atha tāṃ vīkṣya madano ratyākhyāṃ svastriyaṃ śubhām | ātmā guṇena viddhosau mumoha ratiraṃjitaḥ
Rồi Kāma (Madana), khi nhìn thấy người vợ cát tường của mình tên là Rati, liền bị nét quyến rũ của nàng xuyên thấu tâm can; tâm trí say đắm, rơi vào mê lầm, bị dục tình khuấy động.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It illustrates how even the presiding deity of desire becomes bound by moha (delusion) when the mind is struck by attractive guṇas; in Shaiva thought, liberation arises by turning the same inner attention toward Śiva, the Pati, rather than toward binding pāsas like kama.
The verse contrasts sense-driven fascination with the steadiness cultivated in Saguna Śiva-upāsanā (such as Linga worship), where the mind is trained to rest in Śiva’s form and presence, weakening kama and redirecting emotion into bhakti.
A practical takeaway is sense-restraint supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and simple daily Linga-pūjā with bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) as a reminder to burn desire into devotion.