Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 7
कैलासमार्गे शङ्करस्य परीक्षा — Śiva Tests the Approachers on the Kailāsa Path
अथ तौ गुरुशक्रौ च कुर्वंतौ गमनं मुदा । आलोक्य पुरुषं भीमं मार्गमध्येऽद्भुताकृतिम्
atha tau guruśakrau ca kurvaṃtau gamanaṃ mudā | ālokya puruṣaṃ bhīmaṃ mārgamadhye'dbhutākṛtim
Dann zogen die beiden — Bṛhaspati, der Lehrer, und Śakra (Indra) — freudig weiter. Mitten auf dem Weg erblickten sie eine furchterregende Gestalt von wunderbarer, außergewöhnlicher Form, die ihnen im Pfad stand.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
FAQs
It highlights how even the highest celestial authorities (Indra and his guru) must pause before the mysterious and awe-inspiring manifestations that arise in the Lord’s cosmic play—prompting humility, discernment, and reverence for divine will.
The verse foreshadows a tangible, perceivable (saguṇa) divine intervention—an ‘adbhuta’ form that redirects the narrative. In Shaiva understanding, such appearances point back to Shiva’s governance of events, which Linga-worship ritually acknowledges as the accessible sign of the Supreme.
The practical takeaway is to cultivate alertness and surrender when confronted by the unknown: steady the mind with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and approach extraordinary experiences with humility rather than ego.