Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 14
मुनिप्रश्नवर्णनम्
Description of the Sages’ Questions
तदन्ते च कथन्देवस्स तिष्ठति महेश्वरः । कथम्प्रसन्नतां याति शंकरो लोकशंकरः
tadante ca kathandevassa tiṣṭhati maheśvaraḥ | kathamprasannatāṃ yāti śaṃkaro lokaśaṃkaraḥ
Und am Ende: Wie verweilt jener Gott—Mahādeva, der Große Herr, Maheśvara? Und wie wird Śaṅkara, der Wohltäter der Welten, gnädig und schenkt den Wesen seine Gunst?
The sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (questioning Sūta Gosvāmin as narrator of the Rudrasaṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a jyotirliṅga; asks about the post-dissolution abiding of Maheśvara and the mechanism/meaning of His prasāda (graciousness).
Significance: Centers the Siddhānta emphasis on anugraha: liberation is not merely cosmological timing but Śiva’s gracious turning toward the bound soul.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: post-pralaya abiding implied
FAQs
It frames a core Shaiva Siddhānta concern: how the transcendent Lord (Pati) still “abides” and, out of compassion, becomes gracious to bound souls (paśu) for their upliftment—hinting that liberation depends on Śiva’s anugraha (grace), not mere self-effort.
By asking how Śaṅkara becomes pleased, the verse points toward upāsanā of Saguna Śiva—commonly expressed in the Purāṇa through Liṅga-worship, mantra, and devotion—through which the Lord’s prasāda is invoked for protection, purification, and spiritual progress.
The practical takeaway is to seek Śiva’s prasannatā through bhakti and japa—especially the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—supported by classical Shaiva observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as aids to remembrance and purity.