Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 38
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
सिसृक्षोरथ मे प्रादुरभवत्पापसर्गकः । अविद्यापंचकस्तात बुद्धिपूर्वस्तमोपमः
sisṛkṣoratha me prādurabhavatpāpasargakaḥ | avidyāpaṃcakastāta buddhipūrvastamopamaḥ
Als ich zu erschaffen begehrte, trat aus mir die Schöpfung hervor, die «pāpa-sarga» genannt wird—der dunkle Strom der Bindung. O Lieber, es war die fünffache Avidyā, von Buddhi eingeleitet, einer dichten Finsternis gleich.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pasha
Cosmic Event: Sarga of bondage: emergence of ‘pāpa-sarga’ identified with fivefold avidyā, a concealment-current within creation
FAQs
It explains that bondage begins with the arising of fivefold Avidyā—an obscuring power that makes consciousness turn away from Shiva (Pati) and become entangled as the bound soul (paśu) within the bonds (pāśa).
Since Avidyā is described as darkness, Saguna Shiva worship—especially Linga-upāsanā—functions as a revealed support for purification and right knowledge, turning the mind from tamas toward Shiva’s grace and clarity.
A practical takeaway is to counter tamas through Shiva-sādhana: japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), wearing/holding rudrākṣa, and applying tripuṇḍra bhasma as reminders of detachment and inner illumination.