Shloka 20
सृष्टिविस्तारप्रश्नः (Sṛṣṭi-vistāra-praśnaḥ) — The Detailed Inquiry into Creation
धर्मपत्न्यो मुने त्वेतास्तास्वपत्यानि मे शृणु । विश्वेदेवास्तु विश्वायास्साध्यान्साध्या व्यजायत
dharmapatnyo mune tvetāstāsvapatyāni me śṛṇu | viśvedevāstu viśvāyāssādhyānsādhyā vyajāyata
O sage, these are the wives of Dharma; now hear of the children born from them. From Viśvā arose the Viśvedevas, and from Sādhyā were born the gods called the Sādhyas.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse situates cosmic order (dharma) as a divinely structured hierarchy: even groups of devas arise through Dharma’s line, implying that the universe functions through ordained law, which in Shaiva thought ultimately rests under Pati (Śiva) as the supreme governor of order and grace.
By showing that deities and cosmic functions arise within a lawful order, the text implicitly points beyond secondary gods to the supreme source. In Shaiva Siddhanta, worship of the Linga (Saguna Śiva as the accessible form) is the direct means to transcend the entire cosmic hierarchy and attain Śiva’s grace.
No specific rite is commanded in this verse; the takeaway is to cultivate dharmic alignment. Practically, a Shaiva practitioner may reinforce this through daily Panchākṣarī japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and disciplined conduct, treating dharma as supportive to Śiva-bhakti and inner purification.