Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 35
गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः
Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds
यत्रयत्र धरायां च चरणं प्रमिणोति हि । अचलां सचलां तत्र करोति निज भारतः
yatrayatra dharāyāṃ ca caraṇaṃ pramiṇoti hi | acalāṃ sacalāṃ tatra karoti nija bhārataḥ
Wherever upon the earth he sets down and measures his step, there his own might makes the unmoving ground move, turning the stable earth into a trembling one.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: A heroic hyperbole verse (vīrya-varṇana) that, in Siddhānta reading, illustrates the limited but formidable power of embodied agents (paśu) under māyā—contrasted with Śiva’s unlimited śakti.
FAQs
It portrays overwhelming śakti: when divine power manifests, even what seems fixed and stable (the earth, the mind, the ego’s certainty) is shaken, urging surrender to Pati (Śiva) beyond ordinary limits.
The verse reflects Saguna Śiva’s palpable majesty—experienced as awe, trembling, and transformation—mirroring how the Liṅga is worshipped as the visible focus where the Infinite becomes present and acts in the world.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to stabilize awareness when life feels shaken, coupled with simple Śiva-bhakti (offering water to the Liṅga) to cultivate surrender.