Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 16
Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa
भवानीनाथै: स्त्रीगणार्बुदसहस्रैरवरुध्यमानो भगवतश्चतुर्मूर्तेर्महापुरुषस्य तुरीयां तामसीं मूर्तिं प्रकृतिमात्मन: सङ्कर्षणसंज्ञामात्मसमाधिरूपेण सन्निधाप्यैतदभिगृणन् भव उप-धावति ॥ १६ ॥
bhavānī-nāthaiḥ strī-gaṇārbuda-sahasrair avarudhyamāno bhagavataś catur-mūrter mahā-puruṣasya turīyāṁ tāmasīṁ mūrtiṁ prakṛtim ātmanaḥ saṅkarṣaṇa-saṁjñām ātma-samādhi-rūpeṇa sannidhāpyaitad abhigṛṇan bhava upadhāvati.
In Ilāvṛta-varṣa, Lord Śiva is always surrounded by ten billion maidservants of Bhavānī (Durgā), who minister to him. The Mahāpuruṣa’s fourfold expansion consists of Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Saṅkarṣaṇa. Saṅkarṣaṇa, the fourth expansion, is wholly transcendental; yet because His work of destruction within the material world is connected with the guṇa of ignorance, He is called the tāmasī form. Knowing Saṅkarṣaṇa to be the original cause of his own existence, Śiva establishes His presence in samādhi and, chanting the following mantra, hastens to take shelter of Him.
Sometimes we see a picture of Lord Śiva engaged in meditation. This verse explains that Lord Śiva is always meditating upon Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa in trance. Lord Śiva is in charge of the destruction of the material world. Lord Brahmā creates the material world, Lord Viṣṇu maintains it, and Lord Śiva destroys it. Because destruction is in the mode of ignorance, Lord Śiva and his worshipable Deity, Saṅkarṣaṇa, are technically called tāmasī. Lord Śiva is the incarnation of tamo-guṇa. Since both Lord Śiva and Saṅkarṣaṇa are always enlightened and situated in the transcendental position, they have nothing to do with the modes of material nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — but because their activities involve them with the mode of ignorance, they are sometimes called tāmasī.
FAQs
This verse portrays Lord Śiva (Bhava), even while accompanied by Pārvatī and vast divine entourages, approaching and glorifying the Supreme Lord in samādhi—showing Śiva’s devotion to the Mahāpuruṣa and His manifestations.
Saṅkarṣaṇa is identified here as one of the Lord’s four manifestations (catur-mūrti). Śiva meditatively brings forth the ‘fourth’ form—described as tāmasī—indicating a specific cosmic function connected with tamas and the Lord’s prakṛti.
The verse emphasizes focused inner absorption: even amid duties and surroundings, one can approach the Lord by steady meditation and heartfelt glorification—turning the mind inward to remember and praise the Divine.