Shloka 19
देवीं तां संजिहीर्षंतौ विषमेषु प्रपीडितौ । दिव उत्तेरतुः क्षिप्रं मायां स्वीकृत्य शांबरीम्
devīṃ tāṃ saṃjihīrṣaṃtau viṣameṣu prapīḍitau | diva utteratuḥ kṣipraṃ māyāṃ svīkṛtya śāṃbarīm
Intent on seizing that Goddess, and hard-pressed amid perilous conditions, they swiftly rose into the sky, adopting Śāmbharī māyā—an illusory power born of Śiva’s sphere.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; the key motif is ‘Śāmbharī māyā’—a Śiva-associated illusory power—used by daityas to approach and seize Devī.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
FAQs
It highlights how māyā can be weaponized in conflict: beings driven by desire to possess the Devī resort to illusion, showing that power without dharma becomes bondage, while Śiva’s domain of māyā ultimately serves the cosmic order.
Śāmbharī māyā is described as arising from Śiva’s sphere, pointing to Saguna Śiva’s governance over manifest powers (śakti and māyā). Linga-worship centers on recognizing Śiva as the Lord of all energies, including the forces that delude and the grace that liberates.
A practical takeaway is vigilance against māyā through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady devotion, using mantra to discern truth amid deception—especially when the mind is pressured by fear or desire.