Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 58
सती-शिवचरित्रप्रसङ्गः / The Account of Satī and Śiva’s Divine Conduct
Prelude to Detailed Narrative
ज्ञातं मे राम विष्णुस्त्वं दृष्टा ते प्रभुताऽखिला । निःसशंया तदापि तच्छृणु त्वं च महामते
jñātaṃ me rāma viṣṇustvaṃ dṛṣṭā te prabhutā'khilā | niḥsaśaṃyā tadāpi tacchṛṇu tvaṃ ca mahāmate
يا راما، قد عرفتُ أنك حقًّا فيشنو؛ وقد رأيتُ تمام سلطانك وقدرتك. لا شكَّ عندي—ومع ذلك، يا عظيمَ الرأي، فاسمع ما أقول.
An interlocutor addressing Rāma as Viṣṇu (within the Satīkhaṇḍa narrative)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It models discernment joined with humility: even after recognizing divine power (Viṣṇu in Rāma), the speaker continues a respectful dialogue—an attitude valued in Shaiva ethics for receiving higher truth and grace.
By acknowledging a Saguna form’s sovereignty while still seeking to speak and be heard, the verse supports the Purāṇic approach: worship of manifest divinity (including the Liṅga as Shiva’s accessible form) is a valid means to approach the Supreme without denying other divine manifestations.
The takeaway is śravaṇa (reverent listening) and vinaya (humility): approach worship—such as japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with a teachable mind, letting devotion mature into clear understanding.