Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
वसन्तस्वरूपवर्णनम् — Description of the Form/Nature of Vasant
a
कांताभिलाषमात्रं मे दृष्ट्वा शंभुरगर्हयत् । मुनीनां पुरतः कस्मात्स कांतां संग्रहीष्यति
kāṃtābhilāṣamātraṃ me dṛṣṭvā śaṃbhuragarhayat | munīnāṃ purataḥ kasmātsa kāṃtāṃ saṃgrahīṣyati
Als Śambhu in mir auch nur eine Spur des Verlangens nach einem Geliebten sah, tadelte Er mich. Wie sollte Er dann, inmitten der Weisen, eine Gefährtin annehmen?
Sati
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights Śiva’s ideal of inner purity: even a subtle movement of personal desire is corrected, showing that divine union is grounded in dharma and spiritual maturity, not ordinary craving—an emphasis aligned with Shaiva Siddhanta’s stress on purification of the soul (paśu) from bonds (pāśa).
Śiva as Saguna (Śambhu) is portrayed as the compassionate teacher who disciplines and elevates the devotee; Linga-worship similarly trains the mind toward steadiness, restraint, and devotion, transforming emotion into sanctified bhakti rather than worldly attachment.
A takeaway is to pair devotion with self-restraint: daily japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a vow of purity of intention, and meditation on Śiva as the inner witness who corrects subtle desire.