Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 40
मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta
बिभेत्यल्पश्रुताद्वेदो मामयं प्रतरिष्यति । सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वंतराणि च
bibhetyalpaśrutādvedo māmayaṃ pratariṣyati | sargaśca pratisargaśca vaṃśo manvaṃtarāṇi ca
Der Veda fürchtet den Menschen mit geringer Gelehrsamkeit und denkt: „Dieser wird versuchen, mich zu ‘überqueren’ (das heißt, mich) falsch zu erklären.“ Der Veda spricht von Schöpfung und Auflösung, von Geschlechtern und Linien sowie von den Zyklen der Manus (Manvantaras).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: No jyotirliṅga episode; the verse personifies Veda as ‘fearing’ misinterpretation by the untrained, underscoring the need for proper adhikāra and interpretive tradition.
Significance: Encourages humility and qualified learning (adhikāra) before attempting śāstra-vyākhyā; protects seekers from doctrinal error (viparīta-jñāna).
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Implicit cosmology: sarga/pratisarga and manvantara cycles as the Purāṇic frame for time and cosmic recurrence.
FAQs
It warns that partial learning breeds misreading of revelation; true spiritual progress requires humility, proper transmission, and alignment with the Shaiva aim of right knowledge that leads the soul (paśu) toward Shiva (Pati).
Linga-worship is grounded in śāstra and sampradāya; the verse implies that without correct understanding, external worship can become mere display, while informed devotion recognizes the Linga as the sacred support for realizing Shiva’s presence.
Study with a competent teacher and steady japa—especially the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so scriptural teachings on creation cycles become contemplation that matures into devotion and inner clarity.