Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 23
कार्त्तिकेयान्वेषण-नन्दिसंवाद-वर्णनम्
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वह्निरुवाच । वीर्यं सोढुमशक्तोहं तव शंकर पर्वते । कैलासे न्यक्षिपं सद्यः कपोतात्मा सुदुस्सहम्
vahniruvāca | vīryaṃ soḍhumaśaktohaṃ tava śaṃkara parvate | kailāse nyakṣipaṃ sadyaḥ kapotātmā sudussaham
Agni said: O Śaṅkara, I was unable to bear that potency upon the mountain. Therefore, since it was exceedingly unbearable, I immediately cast it down on Kailāsa, assuming the form of a pigeon.
Agni (Vahni)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Agni admits incapacity to bear Śiva’s tejas and relocates it to Kailāsa by assuming a pigeon-form—showing even divine functions (Agni-tattva) are limited before Śiva’s para-tejas.
Significance: Kailāsa is invoked as the natural locus of Śiva’s presence; the episode underscores that proximity to Śiva’s abode does not automatically grant capacity—fitness and grace remain central.
FAQs
It highlights the immeasurable, transcendent power of Śiva (Pati): even a great deva like Agni cannot contain it, showing that Śiva’s śakti is beyond ordinary cosmic functions and must manifest through divinely ordained means.
The verse reinforces Saguna Śiva’s active, world-ordering presence: His divine potency is real and operative in the cosmos, yet remains overwhelming—prompting devotees to approach Him through sacred forms and disciplined worship rather than casual familiarity.
A practical takeaway is reverent containment of spiritual energy through regular japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and disciplined observances (bhasma/tripuṇḍra and rudrākṣa), cultivating steadiness before invoking intense śakti in meditation.