Shloka 15
क्वचिद्वालुकया व्याप्तमाकंठांतः प्रवेशया । क्वचिद्दुष्टाम्बुना व्याप्तं क्वचिच्च करिषाग्निना
kvacidvālukayā vyāptamākaṃṭhāṃtaḥ praveśayā | kvacidduṣṭāmbunā vyāptaṃ kvacicca kariṣāgninā
Có nơi bị cát vùi lấp, bị ép lún xuống đến tận cổ; có nơi bị nước hôi thối tràn ngập; và nơi khác lại bị hành hạ bởi lửa đốt phân đang cháy.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
The verse uses vivid images of being smothered, drowned, and burned to illustrate the painful consequences of bondage (pāśa) created by karma and ignorance; it implicitly points the seeker toward refuge in Pati—Lord Shiva—as the liberator who grants purification and release.
Such descriptions of suffering function as a contrast to Shiva’s grace: devotion to Saguna Shiva through Linga-worship, mantra, and disciplined conduct is presented in the Shiva Purana as a concrete means to overcome karmic afflictions and move toward Shiva-realization.
The takeaway is to reduce karmic bondage through Shaiva sādhana—regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), worship of the Shiva-linga with purity and restraint, and yogic self-control—so the mind does not fall into states symbolized by these torments.