Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 25
मुनिप्रश्नवर्णनम्
Description of the Sages’ Questions
कथयामि यथाबुद्धि भवत्प्रश्नानुसारतः । शिवलीलां प्रयत्नेन द्विजास्तां शृणुतादरात्
kathayāmi yathābuddhi bhavatpraśnānusārataḥ | śivalīlāṃ prayatnena dvijāstāṃ śṛṇutādarāt
Ich will, nach Maß meines Verstehens und euren Fragen entsprechend, das göttliche Līlā Śivas berichten. Darum, o zweimalgeborene Weisen, hört es mit Mühe und ehrfürchtiger Aufmerksamkeit an.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it is the formal narrative transition (saṅkalpa) where Sūta commits to expound Śiva-līlā according to the sages’ questions.
Significance: Highlights the śiṣya’s duty of attentive listening (ādarāt) and the ācārya’s duty of faithful transmission ‘yathābuddhi’; in Siddhānta, such disciplined reception is a vessel for grace.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes śravaṇa (reverent listening) as a primary means of receiving Śiva-tattva: by attentive hearing of Śiva’s līlā, the devotee’s mind turns from bondage (pāśa) toward the Lord (Pati), preparing the ground for grace and liberation.
By inviting focused listening to Śiva’s līlā, the text guides devotees toward Saguna contemplation—approaching the formless Supreme through His accessible manifestations, deeds, and sacred narratives that culminate in devotion to the Liṅga as a central symbol of Śiva’s presence.
The implied practice is disciplined śravaṇa: hearing the Purāṇa with ādarā (reverence) and prayatna (steadiness). As a practical takeaway, one may pair such listening with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to stabilize attention and devotion.