Shloka 6
पुराणश्रवणप्रस्तावः
Prologue to the Recitation of the Śaiva Purāṇa
सूत उवाच । शृण्वंतु ऋषयः सर्वे पुराणं वेदसारजम् । पुरा कालेन महता कल्पेऽतीते पुनःपुनः
sūta uvāca | śṛṇvaṃtu ṛṣayaḥ sarve purāṇaṃ vedasārajam | purā kālena mahatā kalpe'tīte punaḥpunaḥ
সূতে ক’লে—হে ঋষিসকল, তোমালোক সকলোৱে বেদসাৰজাত এই পুরাণ শুনা। অতি প্ৰাচীন কালে, মহাকাল অতিবাহিত হোৱাৰ পাছত, পূৰ্ব কল্প পুনঃপুনঃ সমাপ্ত হ’লে এই পবিত্ৰ আখ্যান পুনৰ প্ৰচাৰিত হৈছিল।
Suta Goswami
Sthala Purana: Cosmic framing rather than local: the Purāṇa is ‘veda-sāraja’ and is re-proclaimed across kalpas, emphasizing perennial revelation.
Significance: Śravaṇa (listening) itself is treated as a meritorious sādhana; hearing the Purāṇa is a portable pilgrimage yielding purification and readiness for Śiva’s teaching.
Cosmic Event: Kalpa-cycle repetition; re-proclamation after prior kalpa endings (cyclic time).
FAQs
It frames the Shiva Purana as vedasāra—Vedic essence—meant to be received through attentive listening (śravaṇa), a primary Shaiva path for inner purification and liberation-oriented understanding.
By presenting the Purana as timeless across kalpas, it implies that Saguna Shiva worship—especially Linga-centered devotion taught in the Vidyeshvara/Vishveshvara context—remains a perennial means to approach the Supreme Pati (Shiva).
The immediate practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) to Shiva-kathā; traditionally this supports mantra-japa (e.g., the Panchakshara) and steady contemplation of Shiva as the liberating Lord.