Shloka 4
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
ब्रह्मोवाच । सम्यक् पृष्टे च भवता यज्जातं तदनंतरम् । कथयिष्यामि संक्षेपाद्यथा पूर्वं श्रुतं मया
brahmovāca | samyak pṛṣṭe ca bhavatā yajjātaṃ tadanaṃtaram | kathayiṣyāmi saṃkṣepādyathā pūrvaṃ śrutaṃ mayā
Brahmā said: “You have questioned well about what occurred immediately thereafter. I shall relate it succinctly, just as I heard it in former times.”
Brahma
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It establishes the Shaiva scriptural method: sincere inquiry followed by faithful transmission of received wisdom. In Shaiva Siddhanta, right questioning (jijñāsā) and authentic narration are gateways to understanding Pati (Śiva) and the order of manifestation.
This verse introduces an authoritative narration that typically culminates in practical devotion—often moving from cosmological sequence to accessible worship. In the Shiva Purana’s flow, such narration supports Saguna worship (like Linga-upāsanā) as a clear means for embodied beings to approach Śiva.
The implied practice is śravaṇa (reverent listening) and manana (reflective contemplation) of Shiva-kathā. As a takeaway, one may listen to or recite the Purana with devotion and then steady the mind in remembrance of Śiva (e.g., japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”).