Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 24
शङ्खचूडवधकथनम् / The Account of Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Slaying
अच्युतोऽपि वरं दातुं पुष्करं संजगाम ह । तपश्चरति यत्रासौ दंभनामा हि दानवः
acyuto'pi varaṃ dātuṃ puṣkaraṃ saṃjagāma ha | tapaścarati yatrāsau daṃbhanāmā hi dānavaḥ
Même Acyuta (Viṣṇu) se rendit à Puṣkara afin d’accorder une grâce ; c’est là que le Dānava nommé Dambha accomplissait de rudes austérités.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya in the Rudrasaṃhitā narrative flow)
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Puṣkara is invoked as a famed tīrtha where a tapasvin seeks boons; the verse uses Puṣkara as the sacred setting for boon-bestowal to Dambha, not as a Jyotirliṅga site.
Significance: Puṣkara-tīrtha is traditionally held to purify sins and support successful vrata/tapas; here it functions as a ‘siddha-kṣetra’ backdrop where divine audience to austerity is narratively plausible.
FAQs
It highlights the Purāṇic principle that intense tapas can compel even great deities to respond with boons—yet Shaiva teaching cautions that power gained without devotion to Pati (Śiva) often strengthens bondage (pāśa) and fuels conflict.
By contrast, the verse frames tapas aimed at worldly empowerment; Shaiva Siddhānta emphasizes turning worship toward Saguna Śiva (Linga-arcana, mantra, and bhakti) so that spiritual merit leads to purification and grace rather than ego-driven boons.
The takeaway is to redirect tapas into Śiva-oriented sādhanā—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with disciplined vows—so austerity becomes a means to inner purification rather than mere acquisition of power.