Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 34
तुलसी-शङ्खचूडोपाख्यानम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and the Tulasī Episode
Prelude to Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Fall
पाषाणसदृशस्त्वं च दयाहीनो यतः खलः । तस्मात्पाषाणरूपस्त्वं मच्छापेन भवाधुना
pāṣāṇasadṛśastvaṃ ca dayāhīno yataḥ khalaḥ | tasmātpāṣāṇarūpastvaṃ macchāpena bhavādhunā
“Ngài quả như đá, vì là kẻ ác không lòng từ. Vậy nên, bởi lời nguyền của ta, ngay lúc này hãy hóa thành thân đá.”
A wrathful sage (ṛṣi) pronouncing a curse during the Yuddhakhaṇḍa narrative (as relayed by Sūta Gosvāmin).
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Aetiological curse motif: the offender is condemned to a stone-form (śilā), a narrative pattern often used to sacralize objects/places later revered; however, this verse itself does not identify a Jyotirliṅga site.
Significance: Didactic warning about adharma and deceit; also provides mythic grounding for later devotional veneration of sanctified stones/plants in related traditions.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: destructive
FAQs
The verse teaches that dayā (compassion) is a dharmic mark of a purified soul; cruelty hardens consciousness, and karma can manifest as “stony” inertia—spiritual dullness and bondage—until repentance and grace restore clarity.
In Shaiva Siddhānta, Saguna Shiva’s worship refines conduct: devotion is validated by virtues like compassion. The verse implies that without dayā, ritual becomes hollow, whereas true Linga-bhakti softens the heart and loosens pāśa (bondage).
Practice daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with a vow of dayā (non-harm, kindness), and apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder to dissolve hardness of heart and cultivate sattva.