Shloka 55
प्रकृतितत्त्व-विचारः / Inquiry into Prakṛti (Nature/Śakti) and Śiva’s Transcendence
हरो ध्यानपरः कालीं नित्यं प्रैक्षत सुस्थितम् । विस्मृत्य पूर्वचिंतां तां पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति
haro dhyānaparaḥ kālīṃ nityaṃ praikṣata susthitam | vismṛtya pūrvaciṃtāṃ tāṃ paśyannapi na paśyati
Hara, ganz auf Meditation gerichtet, blickte unablässig auf Kālī, die fest vor Ihm stand. Doch da Er den früheren Gedanken an sie vergessen hatte, sah Er, obwohl Er schaute, nicht wirklich—so sehr war Er in innerer Schau versunken.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages, within the Rudra Saṃhitā narrative frame)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights the Shaiva ideal of dhyāna where the mind becomes so inwardly collected that outer seeing loses force; Hara’s absorption indicates mastery over vṛttis and the primacy of inner awareness in approaching liberation.
Like steady Linga-upāsanā, the verse points to unwavering contemplation (ekāgratā). The devotee may begin with saguna forms (Śiva/Śakti), yet the practice matures into interiorized realization where attention rests in the Lord beyond mere sensory perception.
One-pointed dhyāna: sit steadily, fix awareness on Śiva (or Śiva-Śakti), and repeat the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with breath-aware japa; the aim is absorption where the mind forgets prior distractions and rests in the Lord.