Shloka 1
शौनक उवाच । देवानां दानवानां च गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् । सृष्टिं तु विस्तरेणेमां सूतपुत्र वदाशु मे
śaunaka uvāca | devānāṃ dānavānāṃ ca gandharvoragarakṣasām | sṛṣṭiṃ tu vistareṇemāṃ sūtaputra vadāśu me
Śaunaka said: “O son of Sūta, tell me quickly—and in full detail—about the creation of the gods, the Dānavas, the Gandharvas, the Nāgas, and the Rākṣasas.”
Śaunaka (sage at Naimiṣāraṇya, questioning Sūta)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It establishes the Purāṇic method of inquiry: the sages seek a systematic account of creation, implying that understanding the hierarchy of beings supports discernment (viveka) and devotion to Pati (Śiva) as the supreme ground behind all categories of life.
By asking for the origin of all classes of beings, the verse sets up the teaching that all manifested orders ultimately depend upon the Lord; in Shaiva reading, this points to Saguna Śiva (worshiped as the Liṅga) as the accessible focus through which the seeker approaches the transcendent source.
The verse itself is an invitation to śravaṇa (devotional listening) and contemplation; a practical takeaway is to pair study with japa of the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to internalize the teaching that the Lord underlies creation.