Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 40
मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta
बिभेत्यल्पश्रुताद्वेदो मामयं प्रतरिष्यति । सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वंतराणि च
bibhetyalpaśrutādvedo māmayaṃ pratariṣyati | sargaśca pratisargaśca vaṃśo manvaṃtarāṇi ca
Le Veda craint l’homme de faible érudition, pensant : «Celui-ci tentera de me traverser (c’est-à-dire de m’expliquer) de travers». Le Veda parle aussi de la création et de la dissolution, des lignées, et des cycles des Manu (manvantara).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: No jyotirliṅga episode; the verse personifies Veda as ‘fearing’ misinterpretation by the untrained, underscoring the need for proper adhikāra and interpretive tradition.
Significance: Encourages humility and qualified learning (adhikāra) before attempting śāstra-vyākhyā; protects seekers from doctrinal error (viparīta-jñāna).
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Implicit cosmology: sarga/pratisarga and manvantara cycles as the Purāṇic frame for time and cosmic recurrence.
FAQs
It warns that partial learning breeds misreading of revelation; true spiritual progress requires humility, proper transmission, and alignment with the Shaiva aim of right knowledge that leads the soul (paśu) toward Shiva (Pati).
Linga-worship is grounded in śāstra and sampradāya; the verse implies that without correct understanding, external worship can become mere display, while informed devotion recognizes the Linga as the sacred support for realizing Shiva’s presence.
Study with a competent teacher and steady japa—especially the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so scriptural teachings on creation cycles become contemplation that matures into devotion and inner clarity.