Shloka 74
Paramātma-Svarūpa-Nirṇaya: Strī–Puṃ–Napuṃsaka-Vicāra
Inquiry into the Supreme Self and Gendered Forms
निगृह्य माययाशेषपदार्थग्राहको भवेत् । तदा पुरुष इत्याख्या तत्सृष्ट्वेत्यभवच्छ्रुतिः
nigṛhya māyayāśeṣapadārthagrāhako bhavet | tadā puruṣa ityākhyā tatsṛṣṭvetyabhavacchrutiḥ
When, constrained by Māyā, one becomes the experiencer who apprehends all objects within manifestation, then one is designated “Puruṣa”; therefore the śruti declared, “having created that (world/manifestation)….”
Suta Goswami (continuing the Kailāsa-saṃhitā narration to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Mantra: “tatsṛṣṭvā …” (śruti-allusion)
Role: creative
FAQs
It explains bondage in Shaiva terms: under Māyā the self functions as a “grāhaka” (object-experiencer) and is therefore spoken of as Puruṣa within creation—implying that liberation is the transcendence of Māyā through Shiva’s grace.
Linga/Saguna worship gives the bound soul (Puruṣa under Māyā) a concrete support for devotion and concentration; through that devotion, Shiva reveals His supremacy as Pati beyond Māyā, loosening the soul’s identification with objects.
A practical takeaway is inward meditation with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), observing how the mind grasps “objects,” and offering that grasping into Shiva—supported by daily Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders of detachment and devotion.