Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 25
कामप्रभावः (कामा॑स्य प्रभाववर्णनम्) — The Power of Kāma and the (Ineffective) Attempt to Delude Śiva
लतास्सर्वास्सुमनसो दधुरंकुरसंचयान् । वृक्षांकं चिरभावेन वेष्टयंति स्म तत्र च
latāssarvāssumanaso dadhuraṃkurasaṃcayān | vṛkṣāṃkaṃ cirabhāvena veṣṭayaṃti sma tatra ca
Là, toutes les lianes, comme joyeuses et bien disposées, firent naître des grappes de jeunes pousses; et, d’une affection longue et persistante, elles s’enroulèrent autour des troncs des arbres.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Nature’s fecundity around Śiva’s abode functions as a kṣetra-lakṣaṇa (sign of sacred space), encouraging pilgrims to cultivate ‘sumanas’ (pure mind) as the true offering.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: creative
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
Nature is portrayed as inwardly responsive to dharma and divine presence—creepers and trees mirror the harmony that arises when the world aligns with Śiva’s grace, suggesting that the cosmos itself participates in auspiciousness.
Though the verse is descriptive, it supports the Purāṇic theme that Saguna Śiva’s manifest presence sanctifies a place; such auspicious natural signs are traditionally read as indicators of a fit setting for worship, including Liṅga-pūjā.
It suggests cultivating a sattvic, reverent atmosphere for devotion—quiet japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and mindful worship in a clean, peaceful place, letting the mind ‘cling’ to Śiva as the creeper clings to the tree.