Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 6
गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः
Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds
स तेपे हिमवद्द्रोण्यां तपः परमदारु णम् । ऊर्द्ध्वबाहुर्नभोदृष्टिः पादांगुष्ठाश्रितावनिः
sa tepe himavaddroṇyāṃ tapaḥ paramadāru ṇam | ūrddhvabāhurnabhodṛṣṭiḥ pādāṃguṣṭhāśritāvaniḥ
Dort, in einem Tal des Himālaya, vollzog er eine überaus strenge Askese—stehend mit erhobenen Armen, den Blick zum Himmel gerichtet, und die Erde nur auf der Spitze seines großen Zehs berührend.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Āghoramūrti
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: Himavat setting evokes Kedāra’s Himalayan sanctity: Śiva as Kedāreśvara is approached through hardship, solitude, and tapas; though this verse is not the Kedāra origin story, it resonates with the Kedāra archetype of severe sādhana in the mountains.
Significance: Mountain austerity symbolizes inner ascent: endurance, restraint, and one-pointedness; in Siddhānta terms, tapas without surrender still remains within pāśa, but it can become a preparatory discipline when turned toward Pati.
FAQs
The verse highlights unwavering tapas and one-pointed yogic resolve—disciplining body and senses so the seeker becomes fit for Shiva’s grace (anugraha), the decisive cause for liberation in Shaiva Siddhanta.
Such austerity is the inner counterpart of outer worship: while Linga-puja honors Saguna Shiva through form, tapas and steady contemplation purify the devotee so devotion matures into direct experience of Shiva’s presence.
It suggests disciplined meditation with bodily steadiness and sense-restraint; as a Shaiva practice one may pair this with Panchakshara japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and a vrata such as Mahashivratri observance, emphasizing purity and focused remembrance.