Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 9
सृष्टिक्रमवर्णनम् / Description of the Sequence of Creation
ततोऽसृजं स्वगात्रेभ्यो विविधेभ्योऽमितान्सुतान् । सुरासुरादिकांस्तेभ्यो दत्त्वा तां तां तनुं मुने
tato'sṛjaṃ svagātrebhyo vividhebhyo'mitānsutān | surāsurādikāṃstebhyo dattvā tāṃ tāṃ tanuṃ mune
Puis, des diverses parties de mon propre corps, je fis naître d’innombrables fils; et à eux—ô sage—j’assignai leurs corps et leurs conditions d’existence respectifs, tels ceux des devas, des asuras et d’autres catégories d’êtres.
Brahmā (narrating creation to the sage, within Sūta’s broader narration)
Tattva Level: pashu
Cosmic Event: secondary creation (vaikṛta-sarga) via Brahmā’s emanation of classes (deva/asura etc.)
FAQs
The verse emphasizes that embodied existence (as deva, asura, etc.) is a divinely ordered allocation of form and function; in Shaiva understanding, liberation comes not from status but from turning the soul (paśu) toward the Lord (Pati) beyond all assigned bodies.
By showing that forms and worlds arise through divine governance, the verse supports Saguna worship: the devotee approaches Shiva through the Linga as the accessible, gracious Lord who transcends and regulates all manifested categories like deva and asura.
A practical takeaway is to cultivate steadiness beyond one’s “given” nature through japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Shaiva disciplines (bhasma/tripuṇḍra and rudrākṣa), aiming at inner purification rather than worldly rank.