Shloka 28
अत्रीश्वरमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Atrīśvara-māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Atrīśvara”
अत्रिरुवाच । प्रिये सुन्दरि त्वं सत्यमथ वाचं व्यलीककाम् । ब्रवीषि च यथार्थं त्वं न मन्ये दुर्लभन्त्विदम्
atriruvāca | priye sundari tvaṃ satyamatha vācaṃ vyalīkakām | bravīṣi ca yathārthaṃ tvaṃ na manye durlabhantvidam
Atri said: “Beloved, fair one, you speak words that are truthful and free from deceit; indeed, you speak rightly. Yet I do not consider this matter to be easily attainable.”
Sage Atri
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: Frames the devotee’s discernment: even when truth is spoken, the fruit (tīrtha/śiva-prasāda) is ‘durlabha’ without the removal of concealment (tirodhāna) by grace.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights a Shaiva ethical foundation: truthful, non-deceptive speech is praised, yet Atri reminds that the highest spiritual attainment (grace, realization, or the intended sacred objective) is still “durlabha”—won through sustained purity, discipline, and Shiva’s anugraha (grace).
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is not merely external; it requires inner alignment. ‘Vyalīka-kām’ (free from deceit) and ‘yathārtha’ (truthful) indicate the devotee’s sincerity—an essential qualification for fruitful Saguna Shiva worship and for receiving the Linga’s sanctifying power.
A practical takeaway is satya (truthfulness) and avyalīkatā (non-deceit) as a vrata-like discipline before japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” applying vāk-śuddhi (purity of speech) alongside regular worship, bhasma/tripuṇḍra, and devotion.