Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 32
शङ्खचूडकृततपः—ब्रह्मवरकवचप्राप्तिः / Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Austerity—Brahmā’s Boon and the Bestowal of the Kavaca
विद्याप्रभावज्ञानार्थं मया त्वं च परीक्षितः । कृत्वा कांतपरीक्षां वै वृणुयात्कामिनी वरम्
vidyāprabhāvajñānārthaṃ mayā tvaṃ ca parīkṣitaḥ | kṛtvā kāṃtaparīkṣāṃ vai vṛṇuyātkāminī varam
Um die wahre Kraft und Wirksamkeit deines Wissens zu erkennen, habe ich dich geprüft. So soll eine Frau, nachdem sie die Würdigkeit des Geliebten erwogen hat, wahrlich einen vortrefflichen Gatten wählen.
Inferred: a senior authority figure/king or guardian addressing a prospective groom (narrated within Sūta Gosvāmin’s Shiva Purana discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga setting; it is a narrative-ethical turn: an authority figure frames a ‘test’ (parīkṣā) to reveal the real efficacy of knowledge and to guide proper marital choice.
Significance: Teaches discernment (viveka) in dharma—especially in gṛhastha life—so that marriage supports, rather than undermines, dharmic and spiritual aims.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse upholds viveka (discernment): true worth is verified through examination, not appearances. In a Shaiva frame, knowledge must manifest as steadiness, integrity, and dharmic conduct—qualities that lead the soul (paśu) toward Shiva’s grace (pati-anugraha).
Though not directly about linga-ritual, it supports the Shaiva ethic that outer forms must be matched by inner fitness. Saguna Shiva worship emphasizes purity, truthfulness, and self-restraint; the ‘test’ here mirrors the principle that devotion should be proven through conduct aligned with dharma.
A practical takeaway is self-examination (ātma-parīkṣā) alongside daily Shiva-upāsanā: recite the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with a vow of truthfulness and restraint, letting conduct become the proof of one’s learning and devotion.