Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
शङ्खचूडस्य मायायुद्धं तथा माहेश्वरास्त्रप्रभावः | Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Māyā-Warfare and the Power of the Māheśvara Astra
वृद्धब्राह्मण उवाच । देहि भिक्षां दानवेन्द्र मह्यं प्राप्ताय सांप्रतम्
vṛddhabrāhmaṇa uvāca | dehi bhikṣāṃ dānavendra mahyaṃ prāptāya sāṃpratam
বৃদ্ধ ব্ৰাহ্মণে ক’লে—“হে দানবেন্দ্ৰ, মোক এতিয়াই ভিক্ষা দিয়া; মই এই সময়তে তোমাৰ ওচৰলৈ আহিছোঁ।”
Vṛddha Brāhmaṇa (an aged brāhmaṇa)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse highlights dharma through humility and rightful seeking: the brāhmaṇa’s request for bhikṣā becomes a moral test, reminding that compassion and charity are virtues upheld under Shiva’s cosmic order even in a battlefield narrative.
While the verse is not a direct linga-instruction, it reflects Saguna Shiva’s governance of dharma in the world—devotional worship is incomplete without ethical conduct like dāna (charity) and honoring the needy, which are traditional supports to Shiva-bhakti.
Practice dāna with a Shiva-centered intention—offer food or alms to a worthy seeker while inwardly repeating the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivating compassion as a form of worship.