Shloka 13
Saṃjñā–Chāyā Upākhyāna: Sūrya-tejas, Substitution, and the Birth of Manu, Yama, and Yamunā
संज्ञां तां तु रविर्मत्वा छायायां सुसुतं तदा । जनयामास सावर्णिं मनुं वै सविता किल
saṃjñāṃ tāṃ tu ravirmatvā chāyāyāṃ susutaṃ tadā | janayāmāsa sāvarṇiṃ manuṃ vai savitā kila
But Sūrya, taking her to be Saṁjñā, then begot upon Chāyā a noble son—indeed, Savitṛ generated Sāvarṇi Manu.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: creative
FAQs
It highlights how dharma and cosmic order continue through the Manu lineage—even when appearances (Chāyā as Saṁjñā) create confusion—showing that karmic outcomes unfold within Īśvara’s overarching governance.
Though the verse is genealogical, the Shiva Purana frames such lineages as part of Śiva’s regulated cosmos (niyati); devotion to Saguna Śiva (as Linga) aligns the devotee with that sustaining order beyond worldly entanglements like identity and illusion.
A practical takeaway is to steady the mind against भ्रम (misapprehension) through japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and daily Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) remembrance of Śiva as the inner witness beyond changing forms.