Shloka 46
Arjuna–Gaṇa Saṃvāda: Bāṇādhikāra, Tāpasa-veṣa, and the Ethics of Tapas (अर्जुन-गणसंवादः)
भ्रातरश्चैव दुखार्ताः भवन्तु च तथा ध्रुवम् । विद्याश्च निष्फलाः स्युस्तास्तस्मादागच्छ वै ध्रुवम्
bhrātaraścaiva dukhārtāḥ bhavantu ca tathā dhruvam | vidyāśca niṣphalāḥ syustāstasmādāgaccha vai dhruvam
“Nguyện cho các huynh đệ của ngươi cũng bị khổ vì sầu não—quả thật như vậy. Và nguyện cho sự học của họ trở nên vô ích; vì thế, hãy lập tức quay về—chắc chắn.”
Suta Goswami (narrating the Śiva Purāṇa dialogue; the quoted line is spoken by an unnamed character within the narrative)
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It underscores that sorrow and the collapse of merely worldly “vidyā” can function as karmic pressure that turns a person back toward the higher refuge—devotion to Lord Shiva—where true, liberating knowledge becomes fruitful.
By portraying worldly supports as unstable, the verse implicitly redirects the seeker to a stable, accessible focus of grace—Saguna Shiva worship, especially through the Linga—where bhakti ripens and leads toward Shiva’s liberating reality.
A practical takeaway is to return to steady Shiva-sādhana: daily japa of the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” accompanied by simple Linga worship (water/bilva offering) as the antidote to grief and distraction.