Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 66
गिरिजातपः-परीक्षा तथा सप्तर्षि-आह्वानम्
Girijā’s Austerity-Test and the Summoning of the Seven Sages
भूषूणादिरुचिर्मायार्लिप्तानां ब्रह्मणो न च । स प्रभुर्निर्गुणोऽजो निर्मायोऽलक्ष्यगतिर्विराट्
bhūṣūṇādirucirmāyārliptānāṃ brahmaṇo na ca | sa prabhurnirguṇo'jo nirmāyo'lakṣyagatirvirāṭ
He is not the Brahman of those who are smeared by Māyā, however radiant they may appear from mere external adornment. He alone is the Supreme Lord—nirguṇa, unborn, untouched by Māyā—whose course cannot be grasped by the senses or mind, and who yet stands as the all-pervading Cosmic Being (Virāṭ).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: No direct Jyotirliṅga link; the verse distinguishes true nirguṇa Lord from māyā-smeared conceptions and affirms both transcendence and cosmic pervasion (Virāṭ).
Significance: Encourages seekers to look beyond external brilliance and approach Śiva as nirguṇa while honoring His immanent virāṭ presence in all kṣetras.
FAQs
It distinguishes the Supreme Pati (Shiva) from any “absolute” notion still conditioned by Māyā, affirming Shiva as nirguṇa, unborn, and ultimately beyond conceptual grasp—yet immanent as the Virāṭ, the cosmic ground of all.
Though Shiva is declared nirguṇa and nirmāya, devotees approach Him through saguna supports like the Śiva-liṅga; the liṅga is a compassionate, accessible focus that leads the mind from form to the formless Lord beyond Māyā.
Meditate on Shiva as “nirguṇa, aja, nirmāya,” repeating the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with inner detachment from Māyā; let external purity aids (bhasma/tripuṇḍra, rudrākṣa) support remembrance without mistaking mere outer brilliance for realization.