Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 44
प्रयागे महत्समाजः — शिवदर्शनं दक्षागमनं च
The Great Assembly at Prayāga: Śiva’s Appearance and Dakṣa’s Arrival
वेदो मंत्राक्षरमयस्साक्षात्सूक्तमयो भृशम् । सूक्ते प्रतिष्ठितो ह्यात्मा सर्वेषामपि देहिनाम्
vedo maṃtrākṣaramayassākṣātsūktamayo bhṛśam | sūkte pratiṣṭhito hyātmā sarveṣāmapi dehinām
Der Veda ist in Wahrheit aus Mantra‑Silben gebildet und reichlich aus Sūktas, heiligen Hymnen, gewoben. In diesen Hymnen ist das Selbst (Ātman) gegründet; denn dort weilt und offenbart sich das Selbst aller verkörperten Wesen.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: The verse grounds the narrative in revelation-theology: Veda as mantra and sūkta, wherein Ātman is ‘established’. In Śaiva reading, the Veda’s inner purport culminates in Śiva as the indwelling Self and the giver of liberating knowledge.
Significance: Encourages śravaṇa/manana of Vedic-Rudra hymns and Śaiva scriptures as a means to purify mala and receive jñāna-anugraha.
Type: rudram
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that Vedic revelation is not merely ritual speech: the mantra and sūkta are a direct locus where the Ātman is recognized. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, scriptural sound (mantra) becomes a means for the soul to turn toward Pati (Shiva) and move toward liberation.
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is supported by mantra and Vedic hymnody: the verse grounds Saguna devotion in Śabda (sacred sound). The hymns and mantras used in Linga-pūjā are presented as vehicles through which the indwelling Self and Shiva’s presence are contemplated and invoked.
Mantra-japa and sūkta-pāṭha (recitation of Vedic hymns) with contemplative absorption on their meaning—treating the mantra as a direct support for inner realization of the Self and devotion to Shiva.