Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 43
शिवानुकम्पा, ब्रह्मणो निर्भयत्वं च (Śiva’s Compassion and Brahmā’s Fearlessness)
ब्रह्मोवाच । इत्युक्त्वा भगवांस्तत्र सभार्यो वृषभध्वजः । उवाच वेदिमध्यस्थो मूर्तिं कृत्वांशरूपिणीम्
brahmovāca | ityuktvā bhagavāṃstatra sabhāryo vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | uvāca vedimadhyastho mūrtiṃ kṛtvāṃśarūpiṇīm
Brahmā dit : «Ayant ainsi parlé, le Seigneur Bienheureux—Śiva dont l’étendard porte le taureau—avec son épouse, se tint au milieu de l’autel et parla, après avoir revêtu une forme manifeste, émanation partielle de sa propre réalité divine.»
Brahma
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: creative
FAQs
It highlights Shiva’s grace: though transcendent, He becomes accessible to devotees by assuming a manifest, knowable form (aṃśa) within a sacred setting, indicating the compassionate bridge between the Absolute and embodied worship.
By showing Shiva present in the altar’s center and taking a manifest form, the verse supports Saguna upāsanā—approaching Shiva through sacred symbols and forms (including the Linga) as valid means to realize the higher, transcendent reality.
It suggests altar-centered invocation and focused dhyāna on Shiva’s form—supported by japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and reverent ritual purity—so the mind can receive Shiva’s presence and instruction.