Shloka 40
शिवसतीविवाहोत्तरलीला — Post‑marital Līlā of Śiva and Satī
तस्मिन्काले महादेवस्सह सत्या धरोत्तमे । रेमे स सुचिरं छन्दं निकुंजेषु नदीषु च
tasminkāle mahādevassaha satyā dharottame | reme sa suciraṃ chandaṃ nikuṃjeṣu nadīṣu ca
At that time, Mahādeva, together with Satī, delighted for a long while—freely and by His own will—upon that most excellent sacred ground, amid the groves and along the rivers.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse depicts Śiva’s divine sport (līlā) with Satī in sacred landscapes (groves, rivers), a common Purāṇic marker of kṣetra-puṇya.
Significance: General teaching: association with Śiva–Śakti līlā sanctifies place and mind; contemplation yields puṇya and softens bondage (pāśa) toward receptivity for grace.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva as the sovereign Pati whose actions arise from free divine will (chanda), showing that even worldly-like enjoyment becomes a sacred līlā when rooted in Śiva–Śakti unity and purity of consciousness.
It supports Saguna worship by portraying Śiva in a personal, accessible form engaged in līlā with Satī; devotees contemplate this divine presence to stabilize bhakti and then mature toward inner realization of Śiva as the indwelling Lord.
Meditate on Śiva–Śakti together (ardha-nārī/union principle) while japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; if practicing, apply tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and cultivate inner purity, seeing rivers and groves as reminders of sacred presence.