Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 11
त्रिपुरदाहवर्णनम् | Tripura-dāha-varṇanam
Description of the Burning of Tripura
स स्वतंत्रः परं ब्रह्म सगुणो निर्गुणोऽपि ह । अलक्ष्यः सकलैस्स्वामी परमात्मा निरंजनः
sa svataṃtraḥ paraṃ brahma saguṇo nirguṇo'pi ha | alakṣyaḥ sakalaissvāmī paramātmā niraṃjanaḥ
তিনি সম্পূর্ণ স্বতন্ত্র—পরম ব্রহ্ম। তিনি সগুণও, আবার নির্গুণও। সকল ইন্দ্রিয়ের দ্বারা অগোচর; তিনি সর্বেশ্বর, পরমাত্মা, নির্মল ও নিরঞ্জন।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: The verse articulates Śiva’s paradoxical immanence/transcendence (saguṇa/nirguṇa) and His being ‘alakṣya’—a doctrinal lens often used in shrine traditions to explain how the formless Absolute is approached through form (liṅga, mūrti) without being exhausted by it.
Significance: Supports contemplative pilgrimage: darśana of the liṅga/mūrti as a gateway to the nirañjana Paramātmā beyond sensory grasp; encourages jñāna-bhakti integration.
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes Shiva as Pati—the supremely independent Lord—who is both immanent as saguṇa (accessible through form and devotion) and transcendent as nirguṇa (beyond all limiting qualities), pointing the seeker toward liberation through His grace.
By affirming Shiva as both saguṇa and nirguṇa, it supports Linga worship as a sacred, graspable focus for devotion and meditation, through which the devotee approaches the same stainless Supreme Reality that ultimately transcends sensory perception.
Meditate on Shiva as both the visible worshipful presence (saguṇa) and the inner Supreme Self (paramātmā), while repeating the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to move from form-based devotion toward direct inner realization.