Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 29
गोत्र-प्रवर-प्रश्नः तथा तिथ्यादि-कीर्तनं
Gotra–Pravara Inquiry and Proclamation of Auspicious Time
सृष्टौ प्रथमजत्वाद्धि लीलासगुणरूपिणः । शिवान्नादस्य शैलेन्द्र सर्वोत्कृष्टस्ततस्स हि
sṛṣṭau prathamajatvāddhi līlāsaguṇarūpiṇaḥ | śivānnādasya śailendra sarvotkṛṣṭastatassa hi
Oh Señor de las montañas, porque fue lo primero en surgir en la creación, este sonido sagrado—el nāda de Śiva, manifestación lúdica de su forma saguṇa—es por ello proclamado el más excelente de todo.
Parvati
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Sthala Purana: The verse is cosmological rather than local: nāda is described as ‘first-arisen’ in sṛṣṭi, implying sound as the earliest manifest articulation of Śiva’s saguṇa līlā.
Significance: Encourages devotees to treat mantra-sound as the foremost ‘tīrtha’—the earliest bridge from unmanifest to manifest—thus prioritizing śravaṇa/japa as primary sādhana.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: sṛṣṭi-ārambha (cosmic beginning)
FAQs
The verse exalts Shiva’s nāda (primordial sacred sound) as the earliest arising principle in creation and as a saguṇa (accessible, grace-giving) expression of Shiva’s līlā—thereby presenting sound/mantra as a direct doorway to Śiva’s presence and liberation.
Śiva’s saguṇa worship is approached through tangible supports (ālambana) like the Liṅga and audible supports like nāda/mantra. This verse highlights nāda as Shiva’s manifest, worship-worthy expression—complementing Liṅga-upāsanā as another concrete means to relate to the transcendent (nirguṇa) Shiva through a gracious form.
Mantra-japa and nāda-anusandhāna (meditation on sacred sound)—especially steady repetition of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a daily sādhana, ideally supported by purity disciplines like vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa when appropriate.