Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 66
शिवपुत्रजननवर्णनम् — Description of the Birth/Manifestation of Śiva’s Son
गंगयाऽपि च तद्वीर्यं दुस्सहं परमात्मनः । निःक्षिप्तं हि शरस्तंबे तरंगैः स्वैर्मुनीश्वर
gaṃgayā'pi ca tadvīryaṃ dussahaṃ paramātmanaḥ | niḥkṣiptaṃ hi śarastaṃbe taraṃgaiḥ svairmunīśvara
Ô seigneur des sages, même Gaṅgā trouva insoutenable cette puissance du Paramātman, le Soi suprême ; c’est pourquoi, par ses propres vagues, elle la projeta dans une touffe de roseaux.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: The verse belongs to the Skanda/Kumāra birth-cycle: Śiva’s tejas/retas is too intense even for Gaṅgā to bear, so it is deposited in reeds, preparing the embodied advent of the divine son for the world’s welfare.
Significance: Contemplation of Śiva’s ananta-tejas and its safe mediation through śakti (Gaṅgā) cultivates reverence and surrender; it frames divine power as grace when properly ‘contained’ for beings.
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: creative
FAQs
It highlights the transcendence of Śiva as Paramātman: even the purifying Gaṅgā cannot “contain” His divine potency, pointing to the immeasurable nature of Shiva-Śakti and the need for reverent humility in approaching the Supreme.
The verse portrays Shiva’s power as tangible yet overwhelming—Saguna worship (like Linga-pūjā) gives devotees a sanctified, approachable focus to relate to the same boundless Supreme who otherwise exceeds ordinary capacity.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Śiva as Paramātman while chanting the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivating purity and steadiness—like Gaṅgā’s purifying flow—so the mind can reverently receive divine śakti.