Shloka 12
अश्वाः परश्शतास्संतु संत्वेनेकैप्यनेकधा । अधिरोहे तथाप्येको न द्वितीयस्तथात्मनः
aśvāḥ paraśśatāssaṃtu saṃtvenekaipyanekadhā | adhirohe tathāpyeko na dvitīyastathātmanaḥ
Let there be hundreds of horses—indeed, though they be many in countless ways—yet for mounting, one alone is chosen; likewise, for one’s own Self (Ātman), there is no second.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya within the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Points to non-duality of the true Self’s sovereignty: many supports exist, but refuge is one—Śiva as the sole Pati; strengthens śaraṇāgati and ekaniṣṭhā-bhakti.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches discernment (viveka): among countless external options, the seeker must choose the One Reality. In Shaiva understanding, the highest refuge is the one inner Self—ultimately realized through Shiva’s grace as the supreme Lord (Pati) who leads the soul beyond worldly multiplicity.
The Linga and Saguna Shiva provide a single-pointed focus for devotion amid many distractions. By worshipping one chosen form with steadiness, the mind becomes unified and fit to recognize the One Reality that the Linga signifies—Shiva as the supreme principle beyond all changing forms.
Single-pointed japa and dhyāna: choose one mantra (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and one mode of worship (e.g., Linga abhiṣeka with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and Rudrākṣa remembrance) and practice consistently without scattering attention.