Shloka 17
दक्षयज्ञे सत्या अपमानबोधः — Satī Encounters Disrespect at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
सत्युवाच । हे विष्णो त्वं महादेवं किं न जानासि तत्त्वतः । सगुणं निर्गुणं चापि श्रुतयो यं वदंति ह
satyuvāca | he viṣṇo tvaṃ mahādevaṃ kiṃ na jānāsi tattvataḥ | saguṇaṃ nirguṇaṃ cāpi śrutayo yaṃ vadaṃti ha
Satī said: “O Viṣṇu, do you not truly know Mahādeva in His real principle? The Vedas indeed proclaim Him as both saguṇa, with attributes, and nirguṇa, beyond all attributes.”
Sati
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is a doctrinal assertion: Śiva is both saguṇa (manifest Lord) and nirguṇa (transcendent absolute), as affirmed by śruti.
Significance: Soteriological teaching: correct knowledge (jñāna) of Śiva’s transcendent-immanent nature is a prerequisite for release from pāśa (bondage).
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes Mahadeva as simultaneously transcendent (nirguṇa) and immanent (saguṇa), guiding devotees to honor Shiva’s manifest worship (form, linga, names) while aiming for realization of His ultimate, attribute-free reality.
By affirming “saguṇa,” the verse supports worship through accessible symbols like the Shiva Linga and divine forms; such devotion steadies the mind and, according to Shaiva teaching, matures into insight of Shiva’s nirguṇa nature beyond all limiting qualities.
A practical takeaway is to worship Shiva in saguna mode—japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and linga-pūjā—while meditating on Shiva as nirguṇa, the inner Self beyond name and form.