Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 58
सती-शिवचरित्रप्रसङ्गः / The Account of Satī and Śiva’s Divine Conduct
Prelude to Detailed Narrative
ज्ञातं मे राम विष्णुस्त्वं दृष्टा ते प्रभुताऽखिला । निःसशंया तदापि तच्छृणु त्वं च महामते
jñātaṃ me rāma viṣṇustvaṃ dṛṣṭā te prabhutā'khilā | niḥsaśaṃyā tadāpi tacchṛṇu tvaṃ ca mahāmate
Ô Rāma, je sais désormais que tu es véritablement Viṣṇu ; j’ai vu la pleine mesure de ta puissance souveraine. Je suis sans aucun doute—et pourtant, ô grand d’esprit, écoute ce que j’ai à dire.
An interlocutor addressing Rāma as Viṣṇu (within the Satīkhaṇḍa narrative)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It models discernment joined with humility: even after recognizing divine power (Viṣṇu in Rāma), the speaker continues a respectful dialogue—an attitude valued in Shaiva ethics for receiving higher truth and grace.
By acknowledging a Saguna form’s sovereignty while still seeking to speak and be heard, the verse supports the Purāṇic approach: worship of manifest divinity (including the Liṅga as Shiva’s accessible form) is a valid means to approach the Supreme without denying other divine manifestations.
The takeaway is śravaṇa (reverent listening) and vinaya (humility): approach worship—such as japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with a teachable mind, letting devotion mature into clear understanding.