पूर्वगतिवर्णनम् (Pūrvagati-varṇana) — “Description of the Prior Course / Earlier Lineage Account”
ब्रह्मोवाच इत्थमाभाष्य स मुनिर्भ्रातृभिस्सह संस्तुतः । सनत्कुमारो भगवांस्तत्रैवान्तर्हितोऽभवत्
brahmovāca itthamābhāṣya sa munirbhrātṛbhissaha saṃstutaḥ | sanatkumāro bhagavāṃstatraivāntarhito'bhavat
Brahmā said: Having spoken thus, that sage—Sanatkumāra—was praised along with his brothers; and then the revered Sanatkumāra vanished from that very place.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
It highlights the Purāṇic motif that true spiritual instruction is given by realized sages and then they withdraw—signifying non-attachment and the subtle, inward nature of divine guidance on the Shaiva path toward liberation.
Though the verse is narrative, it frames the authority of Shaiva teaching: sages like Sanatkumāra validate the tradition that leads devotees to Saguna Shiva worship (including Linga-upāsanā) as a purifying means that matures into steadiness of knowledge and devotion.
The implied takeaway is to internalize the teaching through steady japa and contemplation—classically supported in the Shiva Purana by practices like Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and disciplined worship—rather than chasing external signs.