Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 56
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
त्रिमूर्तीनां महेशस्य प्रादुरासीद्घृणानिधिः । आर्द्धनारीश्वरो भूत्वा पूर्णाशस्सकलेश्वरः
trimūrtīnāṃ maheśasya prādurāsīdghṛṇānidhiḥ | ārddhanārīśvaro bhūtvā pūrṇāśassakaleśvaraḥ
Aus Maheśa—dem Großen Herrn unter der Trimūrti—manifestierte sich der Schatz des Erbarmens. Als Ardhanārīśvara geworden, erschien Er als der völlig vollendete Herr, der Souverän über alle offenbarten Formen und Kräfte.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Ardhanārīśvara
Sthala Purana: The verse is a cosmogonic theophany: Śiva manifests as Ardhanārīśvara, signaling the inseparability of Śiva and Śakti as the ground of emanation; not a specific Jyotirliṅga legend.
Significance: Supports pilgrimage to Śiva-Śakti kṣetras by presenting creation itself as arising from their unity; devotion to Ardhanārīśvara is framed as access to compassion (ghṛṇā-nidhi) and completeness (pūrṇāśa).
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: creative
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: cosmogonic epiphany inaugurating ordered manifestation (sakala)
FAQs
It presents Śiva as ghṛṇānidhiḥ—grace itself—who reveals Ardhanārīśvara to show the non-duality and inseparable unity of Śiva (Pati) and Śakti, through whom creation and liberation are both made possible.
By calling Him sakaleśvaraḥ, the verse supports Saguna upāsanā: devotees may worship the manifest Lord—such as the Liṅga or Ardhanārīśvara—recognizing these forms as compassionate revelations of the same supreme Maheśa.
Meditate on Ardhanārīśvara while reciting the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), cultivating bhakti and surrender to Śiva’s grace; this aligns with Shaiva practice and supports inner balance of Śiva-Śakti energies.