Shloka 24
सतीविरहानन्तरं शम्भोश्चरितम् / Śiva’s Conduct After Satī’s Separation
ब्रह्मोवाच । इत्युक्त्वा विररामाथ किंचिद्विरहमुक्तधीः । लोकाचारकरो रुद्रो निर्विकारी सताम्प्रियः
brahmovāca | ityuktvā virarāmātha kiṃcidvirahamuktadhīḥ | lokācārakaro rudro nirvikārī satāmpriyaḥ
Brahmā said: Having spoken thus, Rudra then fell silent. His mind was free from even the slightest sense of separation. Establishing the right conduct of the worlds, Rudra—unchanging and without modification—was dear to the virtuous.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Role: teaching
FAQs
It portrays Rudra as nirvikārī—unchanged by worldly states—and as satāmpriyaḥ, the beloved of the pure. In Shaiva Siddhanta this points to Shiva as Pati, whose spotless, steady consciousness becomes the refuge for souls seeking freedom from the sense of separation (viraha) and the instability of saṃsāra.
Though Shiva is described as nirvikārī (beyond change), devotees approach him through saguna supports like the Śiva-liṅga and pūjā to align their conduct with loka-ācāra-dharma. The verse harmonizes nirguṇa truth (unchanging Shiva) with saguna worship (accessible forms that purify the devotee).
A practical takeaway is to cultivate steadiness and purity through daily Shiva-upāsanā—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and contemplative remembrance of Rudra as nirvikāra—so the mind becomes free from viraha (inner fragmentation) and established in dharmic conduct.