Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 54
शङ्खचूडकस्य राज्याभिषेकः तथा शक्रपुरीं प्रति प्रस्थानम् | Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Coronation and March toward Indra’s City
बहुगोपाश्च गोप्यश्च तत्र संति तदंगजाः । सुविहारपरा नित्यं राधाकृष्णानुवर्तिनः
bahugopāśca gopyaśca tatra saṃti tadaṃgajāḥ | suvihāraparā nityaṃ rādhākṛṣṇānuvartinaḥ
সেখানে বহু গোপ ও গোপী আছেন, যারা সেই বংশ থেকেই জন্মেছেন। তারা নিত্য আনন্দ-লীলায় রত থেকে সর্বদা রাধা-কৃষ্ণের অনুগামী।
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights steadfast devotion (bhakti) expressed as constant “following” the divine ideal; in Shaiva understanding, such single-pointed devotion purifies the pashu (bound soul) and prepares it for Shiva’s grace (anugraha).
Although the verse names Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the Shiva Purana frequently teaches that devotion to a manifest form (saguṇa) disciplines the mind; similarly, Linga-worship is a saguṇa support that steadies attention and ripens the seeker toward Shiva-realization.
The practical takeaway is regular devotional discipline: daily japa with a stable focus (e.g., Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), performed with purity and constancy, mirroring the verse’s emphasis on unbroken anuvṛtti (continuous following).