Shloka 1
Jaṭilāvatāra-Parīkṣā: Pārvatyāḥ Tapasāṃ Parīkṣaṇam
The Jaṭilā Episode and the Testing of Pārvatī’s Austerity
नन्दीश्वर उवाच । सनत्कुमार सुप्रीत्या शिवस्य परमात्मनः । अवतारं शृणु विभोर्जटिलाह्वं सुपावनम्
nandīśvara uvāca | sanatkumāra suprītyā śivasya paramātmanaḥ | avatāraṃ śṛṇu vibhorjaṭilāhvaṃ supāvanam
Nandīśvara said: “O Sanatkumāra, with deep joy in Śiva, the Supreme Self, I shall speak. Hear, O mighty one, the supremely purifying descent (avatāra) of that all-pervading Lord known as ‘Jaṭila’—the matted-haired form.”
Nandishvara (Nandi)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
FAQs
The verse frames Śiva as Paramātmā (the Supreme Self) who, out of grace, manifests an avatāra—here called Jaṭila—so devotees can approach the transcendent Lord through a purifying, accessible form (saguṇa upāsanā) that leads toward liberation.
By introducing a named manifestation of Śiva, the text emphasizes that the formless Supreme is worshipped through forms—such as the Liṅga and divine avatāras—where devotion, mantra, and ritual become concrete means to receive Śiva’s grace.
The immediate practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) to Śiva’s līlās and avatāras; this is typically supported in Śaiva practice by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and contemplative remembrance of Śiva’s sacred forms.