Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 54
शङ्खचूडकस्य राज्याभिषेकः तथा शक्रपुरीं प्रति प्रस्थानम् | Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Coronation and March toward Indra’s City
बहुगोपाश्च गोप्यश्च तत्र संति तदंगजाः । सुविहारपरा नित्यं राधाकृष्णानुवर्तिनः
bahugopāśca gopyaśca tatra saṃti tadaṃgajāḥ | suvihāraparā nityaṃ rādhākṛṣṇānuvartinaḥ
There are many cowherds and cowherd maidens there, born of those very lineages. Ever devoted to joyous pastimes, they constantly follow in the wake of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights steadfast devotion (bhakti) expressed as constant “following” the divine ideal; in Shaiva understanding, such single-pointed devotion purifies the pashu (bound soul) and prepares it for Shiva’s grace (anugraha).
Although the verse names Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the Shiva Purana frequently teaches that devotion to a manifest form (saguṇa) disciplines the mind; similarly, Linga-worship is a saguṇa support that steadies attention and ripens the seeker toward Shiva-realization.
The practical takeaway is regular devotional discipline: daily japa with a stable focus (e.g., Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), performed with purity and constancy, mirroring the verse’s emphasis on unbroken anuvṛtti (continuous following).