Shloka 22
देवर्षि-प्रश्नः तथा असुर-वध-हेतुनिवेदनम् | The Devas’ Petition and the Cause for Slaying Asuras
सृष्टिकर्ताऽभवद्ब्रह्मा हरिः पालनकारकः । लयकारी भविष्यामि रुद्ररूपो गुणाकृतिः
sṛṣṭikartā'bhavadbrahmā hariḥ pālanakārakaḥ | layakārī bhaviṣyāmi rudrarūpo guṇākṛtiḥ
Brahmā became the maker of creation; Hari (Viṣṇu) became the sustainer. I shall become the dissolver—Rudra in form—assuming the manifested modes (guṇas) for the cosmic function.
Lord Shiva (as Rudra)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Cosmic Event: cyclic pralaya (implied)
FAQs
It teaches that the one Supreme Lord assumes functional offices in the cosmos—creation, preservation, and dissolution—so the devotee recognizes Rudra’s dissolving power as a sacred grace that removes bondage and leads toward liberation.
By stating “Rudra in form, constituted by guṇas,” the verse points to Saguna Shiva—worshipped as the Liṅga and as Rudra—through whom devotees contemplate the Lord’s accessible manifested aspect while remembering His transcendence beyond all functions.
Meditate on Rudra as the power of laya (dissolution) while chanting the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” offering water or bilva to the Liṅga, and inwardly surrendering attachments to be ‘dissolved’ by His grace.