Shloka 52
Umā-caritra-prārthanā: Ṛṣayaḥ Sūtaṃ Pṛcchanti
Request for the Account of Umā
ऋषिरुवाच । जगत्येकार्णवे जाते शेषमास्तीर्य योगराट् । योगनिद्रामुपाश्रित्य यदा सुष्वाप केशवः
ṛṣiruvāca | jagatyekārṇave jāte śeṣamāstīrya yogarāṭ | yoganidrāmupāśritya yadā suṣvāpa keśavaḥ
The sage said: “When the whole world had become a single ocean, Keśava—the lord of yogins—spread out Śeṣa as his couch and, resorting to yogic sleep, lay in deep repose.”
A sage (Rishi narrator within the Uma Samhita discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Cosmic Event: pralaya imagery: world becomes ekārṇava; deity in yoganidrā
FAQs
It sets the pralaya (dissolution) backdrop: even cosmic powers rest within yogic stillness, while the Shiva Purana frames the Supreme Pati (Shiva) as the ultimate ground beyond cycles of creation and withdrawal.
By depicting cosmic dissolution, the text prepares the listener to seek an unshakable refuge; in Shaiva Siddhanta this points to worship of Shiva—often through the Linga—as the stable, compassionate Lord who grants grace beyond changing universes.
A practical takeaway is yogic recollection (dhyāna) on stillness during dissolution—supported by Shaiva practice such as japa of the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” with a mind resting like yoganidrā yet oriented to Shiva.