Shloka 32
शङ्खचूडकृततपः—ब्रह्मवरकवचप्राप्तिः / Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Austerity—Brahmā’s Boon and the Bestowal of the Kavaca
विद्याप्रभावज्ञानार्थं मया त्वं च परीक्षितः । कृत्वा कांतपरीक्षां वै वृणुयात्कामिनी वरम्
vidyāprabhāvajñānārthaṃ mayā tvaṃ ca parīkṣitaḥ | kṛtvā kāṃtaparīkṣāṃ vai vṛṇuyātkāminī varam
To ascertain the true power and efficacy of your knowledge, I have tested you. Having thus examined the worthiness of a beloved, a woman should indeed choose an excellent husband.
Inferred: a senior authority figure/king or guardian addressing a prospective groom (narrated within Sūta Gosvāmin’s Shiva Purana discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga setting; it is a narrative-ethical turn: an authority figure frames a ‘test’ (parīkṣā) to reveal the real efficacy of knowledge and to guide proper marital choice.
Significance: Teaches discernment (viveka) in dharma—especially in gṛhastha life—so that marriage supports, rather than undermines, dharmic and spiritual aims.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse upholds viveka (discernment): true worth is verified through examination, not appearances. In a Shaiva frame, knowledge must manifest as steadiness, integrity, and dharmic conduct—qualities that lead the soul (paśu) toward Shiva’s grace (pati-anugraha).
Though not directly about linga-ritual, it supports the Shaiva ethic that outer forms must be matched by inner fitness. Saguna Shiva worship emphasizes purity, truthfulness, and self-restraint; the ‘test’ here mirrors the principle that devotion should be proven through conduct aligned with dharma.
A practical takeaway is self-examination (ātma-parīkṣā) alongside daily Shiva-upāsanā: recite the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with a vow of truthfulness and restraint, letting conduct become the proof of one’s learning and devotion.