Shiva Purana — Uma Samhita, Shloka 33
नरकलोकमार्गयमदूतस्वरूपवर्णनम् / Description of the Path to Naraka and the Nature of Yama’s Messengers
ललाटे चांकुशेनान्ये भिन्ना दुष्यंति देहिनः । उत्तानाः कंटकपथा क्वचिदंगारवर्त्मना
lalāṭe cāṃkuśenānye bhinnā duṣyaṃti dehinaḥ | uttānāḥ kaṃṭakapathā kvacidaṃgāravartmanā
有些众生被刺棒击中并劈开额头，痛苦不堪。有的被扔在荆棘丛生的路上；有的在某些地方，被迫走在燃烧的炭火路上。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Cosmic Event: infernal ordeal (tapas-like burning as punitive karma-phala)
FAQs
It depicts the painful fruits of bondage (pāśa) that arise from karma and ignorance, urging the seeker to turn toward Pati (Lord Shiva) for purification and liberation rather than remaining trapped in cycles of suffering.
Such descriptions of torment highlight why devotees take refuge in Saguna Shiva through Linga worship—seeking Shiva’s grace to burn impurities, loosen karmic bonds, and stabilize the mind in dharma and devotion.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Shiva-bhakti and inner restraint, supported by Shaiva disciplines like Tripundra (bhasma) and Rudraksha as aids to remembrance and purification.