Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 35
सती-शिवचरित्रप्रसङ्गः / The Account of Satī and Śiva’s Divine Conduct
Prelude to Detailed Narrative
ब्रह्मोवाच । आदिशक्तिस्सती देवी शिवा सा परमेश्वरी । शिवमायावशीभूत्वा पप्रच्छेत्थं शिवं प्रभुम्
brahmovāca | ādiśaktissatī devī śivā sā parameśvarī | śivamāyāvaśībhūtvā papracchetthaṃ śivaṃ prabhum
Brahmā dit : Satī Devī — l’Ādiśakti, Śivā, la Déesse suprême — étant passée sous l’emprise de la māyā de Śiva, interrogea ainsi le Seigneur Śiva, le Souverain Maître.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It shows that even Satī, the Ādiśakti, participates in Śiva’s māyā for the sake of divine līlā and teaching—so that profound truths about Pati (Śiva), Paśu (the soul), and Pāśa (bondage) can be revealed through dialogue.
By calling Śiva ‘Prabhu’ (the sovereign Lord), the verse frames devotion to Saguna Śiva—approached through name, form, and worship (including Liṅga-upāsanā)—as a valid doorway to grasping his supreme reality beyond māyā.
The takeaway is surrender and inquiry before the Guru-like Lord Śiva: approach worship with humility, recite the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while contemplating Śiva as Prabhu who dispels māyā, and cultivate sincere questioning (vicāra) alongside bhakti.