Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 9
विष्णुचेष्टितवर्णनम् / Account of Viṣṇu’s Stratagem and Its Aftermath
वृन्दां विमोहिता नाथ विष्णुना हि प्रयत्नतः । भस्मीभूता द्रुतं वह्नौ परमां गतिमागता
vṛndāṃ vimohitā nātha viṣṇunā hi prayatnataḥ | bhasmībhūtā drutaṃ vahnau paramāṃ gatimāgatā
Ô Seigneur, Vṛndā fut réellement abusée par Viṣṇu par un effort délibéré ; elle entra promptement dans le feu, fut réduite en cendres et atteignit l’état suprême.
Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse highlights how worldly identity and even intense attachment can be overturned by delusion, yet the soul’s highest aim remains liberation (paramā gati). In a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, it points to the need for purification from māyā and the eventual attainment of the supreme state through divine order and grace.
Although the verse directly narrates Vṛndā’s fate, its core theme is the supreme goal beyond embodied life. Linga and Saguna Shiva worship in the Shiva Purana are presented as powerful, accessible means for cleansing impurity (mala) and loosening bondage (pāśa), orienting the devotee toward that same paramā gati.
The practical takeaway is vairāgya (dispassion) and purification: daily Shiva-pūjā with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” performed with truthfulness and restraint, as aids toward the supreme attainment.