Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 36
मयस्य शिवस्तुतिः — Maya’s Hymn to Śiva
and Śiva’s Gracious Response
ततश्चांतर्हिते देवे परिवारान्विते शिवे । धनुश्शरस्थाद्यश्च प्राकारोंतर्द्धिमागमत्
tataścāṃtarhite deve parivārānvite śive | dhanuśśarasthādyaśca prākāroṃtarddhimāgamat
Alors, lorsque le Dieu Śiva, entouré de sa suite, devint invisible, les archers, les porteurs d’arc et le rempart d’enceinte s’évanouirent eux aussi hors de la vue.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: The verse supports contemplative pilgrimage teaching: external forms (weapons, walls) are contingent; only Pati is the stable refuge beyond appearance/disappearance.
Cosmic Event: Localized ‘withdrawal of manifestation’: not only deity but associated forms vanish—microcosmic analogy to pralaya/withdrawal.
FAQs
It highlights Śiva’s sovereign power (aiśvarya) to reveal or conceal forms at will; the Lord is not bound by material visibility, and His presence transcends the senses—an important Shaiva Siddhanta reminder that Pati (Śiva) governs perception and reality.
Though Śiva can become unseen, devotees approach Him through accessible manifestations—especially the Liṅga and other saguna forms—where His grace is made perceptible for worship, focus, and surrender.
Meditate on Śiva as both manifest and unmanifest by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), contemplating that the Lord who appears in form can also withdraw into subtlety—training the mind to rest in His presence beyond sensory proof.