Shloka 16
शिवस्यार्द्धनारीनरावतारवर्णनम्
Description of Shiva’s Ardhanārī-nara Manifestation
मनसा निर्मिताः सर्वे शिवे देवादयो मया । न वृद्धिमुपगच्छंति सृज्यमानाः पुनःपुनः
manasā nirmitāḥ sarve śive devādayo mayā | na vṛddhimupagacchaṃti sṛjyamānāḥ punaḥpunaḥ
“I have fashioned all these—beginning with the gods—by my mind, in dependence upon Śiva. Yet, though they are created again and again, they do not attain true increase or fulfillment.”
Brahma
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Cosmic Event: cyclic creation without true flourishing due to limitation of mere mānasa-sṛṣṭi (mental projection)
FAQs
It teaches that mere cosmic production (even by Brahma) cannot grant real fulfillment; true “growth” is liberation, which arises only through Śiva as Pati—the supreme ground and grace behind creation.
Since beings do not attain completion through repeated birth and creation, the Purana points toward taking refuge in Śiva through accessible Saguna forms—especially Linga worship—so the soul may turn from cyclical becoming to Śiva’s liberating reality.
A practical takeaway is to shift from mere worldly striving to Śiva-upāsanā: steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with devotion, along with simple Linga worship, as the means to true inner “increase” (spiritual maturation).