Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 31
घनागमवर्णनम् / Description of the Monsoon’s Onset
Satī’s Address to Śiva
रूपं तदेवमतुलं वदनं सुचारु दृष्ट्वांगना निजवपुर्निजकांतिसह्यम् । हेला निजे वपुषि रूपगणेषु नित्यं कर्तार इत्यनिमिषेक्षणचारुरूपाः
rūpaṃ tadevamatulaṃ vadanaṃ sucāru dṛṣṭvāṃganā nijavapurnijakāṃtisahyam | helā nije vapuṣi rūpagaṇeṣu nityaṃ kartāra ityanimiṣekṣaṇacārurūpāḥ
Voyant cette forme sans égale et ce visage d’une beauté parfaite, la jeune fille comprit que son propre corps et son éclat ne pouvaient s’y mesurer. Avec une insouciance presque joueuse pour son apparence et pour toutes les autres formes, elle fixa sur cette Beauté suprême un regard sans clignement, ne tenant que Lui pour le véritable Créateur.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Sati-Khanda account to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It portrays bhakti as recognition: when the soul (the maiden) perceives Shiva’s unsurpassed beauty and reality, worldly comparisons fall away and the heart naturally affirms Him as the true Creator and supreme Lord (Pati).
The verse emphasizes saguna-darśana—direct contemplation of Shiva’s manifest form—leading to firm conviction in His supremacy. In Linga worship, the same one-pointed reverence is offered to Shiva’s sacred emblem as the visible focus for the invisible Absolute.
It suggests ekāgratā (single-pointed attention): steady, unblinking inner remembrance of Shiva—supported by japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and, where appropriate, Shiva-upāsanā with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrāksha to stabilize devotion.