Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 12
दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship
पक्वान्नगंधमाघ्राय यज्ञदत्तात्मजो द्विजः । पितृत्यक्तो मातृहीनः क्षुधितः स तमन्वगात्
pakvānnagaṃdhamāghrāya yajñadattātmajo dvijaḥ | pitṛtyakto mātṛhīnaḥ kṣudhitaḥ sa tamanvagāt
Als er den Duft gekochter Speise wahrnahm, folgte der junge Brahmane—Yajñadattas Sohn—vom Vater verlassen, der Mutter beraubt und vom Hunger gequält, ihm nach.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a site-legend; the verse introduces the suffering brahmin youth whose deprivation sets the stage for Śiva’s grace operating through a devotee’s ritual context.
Significance: Didactic emphasis: extreme lack (hunger, abandonment) exemplifies the paśu under pāśa; proximity to Śiva-worship becomes the turning point toward anugraha.
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It portrays the soul in distress—driven by lack and longing—moving toward a source of support; in Shaiva thought, such suffering often ripens humility and becomes the doorway to seeking Pati (Shiva), the true refuge beyond worldly dependence.
Though the verse is narrative, it sets the human condition—hunger, abandonment, and vulnerability—that Saguna Shiva compassionately answers through accessible worship (Linga, mantra, vrata), where the devotee turns from mere sense-driven pursuit to divine shelter.
As a practical takeaway, redirect craving into devotion: remember Shiva with the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and offer simple naivedya with a prayer for inner nourishment (jnana and bhakti) rather than only bodily satisfaction.