Shloka 3
मुनिप्रश्नवर्णनम्
Description of the Sages’ Questions
वन्देतरस्थं निजगूढरूपं शिवंस्वतस्स्रष्टुमिदम्विचष्टे । जगन्ति नित्यम्परितो भ्रमंति यत्सन्निधौ चुम्बकलोहवत्तम्
vandetarasthaṃ nijagūḍharūpaṃ śivaṃsvatassraṣṭumidamvicaṣṭe | jaganti nityamparito bhramaṃti yatsannidhau cumbakalohavattam
Je me prosterne devant Śiva, au-delà de tout, dont la forme véritable demeure cachée ; par sa nature même, il veut manifester cette création. Les mondes tournent et gravitent sans cesse autour de lui, attirés par sa seule présence, comme le fer vers l’aimant.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya in the opening of Rudra Saṃhitā, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Mantra: vande tarasthaṃ nija-gūḍha-rūpaṃ śivaṃ svataḥ sraṣṭum idaṃ vicaṣṭe | jaganti nityaṃ parito bhramanti yat-sannidhau cumbaka-loha-vat tam ||
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Cosmic gravitation metaphor: worlds revolve by Śiva-sannidhi alone (niyati/ādhāra), implying hidden governance.
FAQs
It establishes Śiva as the transcendent Pati (Lord) whose true nature is subtle and hidden, yet whose mere presence governs and draws all worlds—pointing to devotion and surrender as the right approach to the Supreme.
Though Śiva is described as beyond and concealed (nirguṇa in essence), devotees approach Him through saguna supports such as the Śiva-liṅga; the verse justifies liṅga-worship as a tangible focus for the invisible Lord who pervades and attracts the cosmos.
Meditate on Śiva’s sannidhi (living presence) and cultivate steady bhakti—reciting the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” while visualizing the mind being drawn to Śiva like iron to a magnet.