Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 32
तारकवधोत्तरं देवस्तुतिः पर्वतवरप्रदानं च / Devas’ Hymn after Tāraka’s Slaying and the Bestowal of Boons upon the Mountains
गंगासलिलधाराय ह्याधाराय गुणात्मने । नमस्ते त्रिदशेशाय शंकराय नमोनमः
gaṃgāsaliladhārāya hyādhārāya guṇātmane | namaste tridaśeśāya śaṃkarāya namonamaḥ
Ehrerbietung Śaṅkara — gleich dem Strom der heiligen Wasser der Gaṅgā, Stütze von allem, innewohnendes Wesen der Guṇas und Herr der Götter. Dir bringe ich immer wieder meine Verneigung dar.
Suta Goswami (narrating the hymn as part of the Kumārakhaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Nilakantha
Jyotirlinga: Vishvanatha
Sthala Purana: The epithet 'ādhāra' and lordship over devas aligns with Kāśī Viśvanātha’s sthala-tradition where Śiva is the support of the worlds and grants liberation through jñāna/upadeśa; Gaṅgā’s presence evokes Kāśī’s Gaṅgā-tīra setting (though the verse itself is a general stuti).
Significance: Darśana and worship are held to bestow fearlessness and mokṣa; Kāśī is famed for Śiva’s liberating grace (anugraha) through the tāraka-upadeśa tradition.
Mantra: गंगासलिलधाराय ह्याधाराय गुणात्मने । नमस्ते त्रिदशेशाय शंकराय नमोनमः
Type: stotra
Role: nurturing
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
The verse praises Shiva as both immanent and supreme: He is the sustaining substratum (ādhāra) of the world and also the Lord of the devas. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, it points to Pati (Shiva) as the ultimate support who grants grace for liberation while pervading the cosmos.
By invoking Shiva as ‘Gaṅgā’s stream’ and ‘Lord of the gods,’ the verse supports saguna-upāsanā—devotional worship through tangible symbols like water abhiṣeka to the Śiva-liṅga, recognizing Shiva’s accessible, gracious form while affirming His cosmic sovereignty.
A direct takeaway is jalābhiṣeka (water offering) with remembrance of Gaṅgā’s sanctity, paired with repeated namaskāra (namo namaḥ) and japa of Shiva’s names—especially in Mahāśivarātri-style devotion.