Shloka 7
पुराणश्रवणप्रस्तावः
Prologue to the Recitation of the Śaiva Purāṇa
अस्मिन्नुपस्थिते कल्पे प्रवृत्ते सृष्टिकर्मणि । मुनीनां षट्कुलीनानां ब्रुवतामितरेतरम्
asminnupasthite kalpe pravṛtte sṛṣṭikarmaṇi | munīnāṃ ṣaṭkulīnānāṃ bruvatāmitaretaram
In this Kalpa that had now arrived, when the work of creation had begun, the sages of the six lineages were conversing among themselves.
Suta Goswami
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga episode; it sets the creation-time context (sṛṣṭi-karman) in which sages of six lineages deliberate—typical Purāṇic prelude to revelation.
Significance: Models satsanga: dialogue among realized lineages as a means to transmit liberating Śiva-knowledge; encourages seeking guru-paramparā.
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: Commencement of creation within the present kalpa (sṛṣṭi-karman pravṛtta).
FAQs
It frames the teaching as emerging at the dawn of a cosmic cycle, implying that right knowledge (śāstra and guru-vākya) guides beings through creation toward Shiva-realization and liberation.
By setting the scene for the sages’ dialogue, it prepares for the Shiva Purana’s central instruction that in the created world, devotion to Saguna Shiva—especially through Linga worship—becomes a stable means to approach the transcendent (Nirguna) Shiva.
The verse itself is introductory, but it points to śravaṇa (listening to sacred discourse) as a primary practice; in the Shiva Purana this is commonly paired with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Linga-pūjā as the teaching unfolds.