Shloka 51
Aditi’s Progeny and the Twelve Ādityas
Manvantara Genealogy
खशा तु यक्षरक्षांसि मुनिरप्सरसस्तथा । अरिष्टासूत सर्पांश्च प्रभावैर्मानवोत्तमान्
khaśā tu yakṣarakṣāṃsi munirapsarasastathā | ariṣṭāsūta sarpāṃśca prabhāvairmānavottamān
The Khaśas, the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, the sages and the Apsarases as well—together with the serpents born of Ariṣṭā—by their respective powers, all became excellent among men.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Cosmic Event: population of worlds/species within manvantara (visarga expansion)
FAQs
It distinguishes innate or acquired “powers” (prabhāva) among various beings and implies that such excellence remains within the realm of embodied existence; in Shaiva thought, true liberation comes not from power but from turning to Pati (Shiva) who alone grants release from pāśa (bondage).
By highlighting graded powers among creatures, the verse indirectly points to the supreme source of all śakti—Saguna Shiva worshipped as the Linga—whose grace transcends these relative hierarchies and leads the devotee beyond worldly attainments.
A practical takeaway is to seek Shiva’s grace rather than mere prabhāva: steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and Rudrākṣa are traditionally recommended in the Shiva Purana for purification and devotion.