Shloka 44
Jaṭilāvatāra-Parīkṣā: Pārvatyāḥ Tapasāṃ Parīkṣaṇam
The Jaṭilā Episode and the Testing of Pārvatī’s Austerity
यथा तथा भवेद्रुद्रो मायया बहुरूपवान् । ममाभीष्टप्रदोऽत्यन्तं निर्विकारः सताम्प्रियः
yathā tathā bhavedrudro māyayā bahurūpavān | mamābhīṣṭaprado'tyantaṃ nirvikāraḥ satāmpriyaḥ
Rudra becomes “this” or “that,” assuming countless forms through His māyā. Yet He is ever the giver of my cherished boons—utterly changeless and beloved of the righteous.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Oṃkāreśvara
Sthala Purana: The multiform manifestation ‘by māyā’ yet remaining nirvikāra aligns with Omkāra’s symbolism: the one reality appearing as many while remaining one; not a direct sthala narrative in this verse, but thematically consonant with Omkāra as the undivided source of forms.
Significance: Meditation on Śiva’s nirvikāratva (immutability) while acknowledging His māyā-śakti supports steadiness in bhakti and jñāna; darśana is sought for iṣṭa-siddhi and inner purification.
Role: creative
FAQs
It reconciles Shiva’s many manifest forms (saguṇa expression through māyā) with His essential nature as nirvikāra (unchanging Pati), teaching that devotion reaches the same Supreme even amid diverse appearances.
The verse supports Linga and form-based worship by affirming that Rudra can truly ‘become’ many worshipful forms for devotees, while remaining inwardly unchanged—so saguṇa worship becomes a doorway to realizing the nirvikāra Lord.
Steady bhakti with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and one-pointed remembrance of Rudra as both multiform and changeless—seeking His grace as the giver of the devotee’s highest good (ultimately liberation).