Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
तच्छ्रुत्वा व्योमवचनं द्वादशाब्दं प्रयत्नतः । पुनस्तप्तं तपो घोरं द्रष्टुं स्वजनकं तदा
tacchrutvā vyomavacanaṃ dvādaśābdaṃ prayatnataḥ | punastaptaṃ tapo ghoraṃ draṣṭuṃ svajanakaṃ tadā
Als er jene Verkündigung aus dem Himmelsraum vernahm, mühte er sich zwölf Jahre lang mit standhaftem Eifer. Dann, um seinen eigenen Urvater, die höchste Ursache, zu schauen, nahm er erneut eine strenge und furchtbare Askese auf sich.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Rudra Saṃhitā account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
It presents disciplined tapas as the purifier of the limited self and the means to receive Shiva’s grace—showing that realization of the Supreme Cause arises through sustained effort aligned with divine instruction.
The “voice from the sky” indicates Shiva’s guiding presence in creation; the seeker’s renewed austerity points to approaching Saguna Shiva (often revealed as the Linga in this khaṇḍa) as the accessible form through which the Supreme is beheld.
Steady, time-bound sādhanā—japa and meditation with focused resolve—mirroring the Purāṇic model of sustained tapas; in Shaiva practice this is commonly supported by Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and disciplined observances.