Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 31
दक्षस्य रुद्रनिन्दा-निमित्तकथनम् / The Cause of Dakṣa’s Censure of Rudra
तारापरिषदो मध्ये चंद्रलेखेव शारदी । ततः शंखसमुत्थस्य नादस्य समनंतरम्
tārāpariṣado madhye caṃdralekheva śāradī | tataḥ śaṃkhasamutthasya nādasya samanaṃtaram
Au milieu de cette assemblée d’étoiles, elle brillait telle la lune en croissant, limpide en l’automne. Puis, aussitôt après, on entendit la résonance née de la conque (śaṅkha).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a specific Jyotirliṅga; the simile of the autumnal crescent amid stars frames the Goddess as a cooling, clarifying presence before auspicious ritual sounds (śaṅkha-nāda).
Significance: Hearing/remembering śaṅkha-nāda as auspicious commencement (maṅgala) supports sāttvika bhāva and readiness for darśana and worship.
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse uses the image of the pure autumn crescent to indicate sattvic clarity and divine auspiciousness, while the conch-sound signals a sacred transition—an invocation that prepares the mind for Shiva-centered revelation and grace (anugraha) in the narrative.
The conch-sound is a classic marker of formal worship and auspicious commencement; in Saguna Shiva worship it frames the devotee’s approach to the Linga with reverence, purity, and focused attention, supporting devotion that ultimately matures toward knowledge of Shiva as Pati (the Lord).
It suggests beginning worship with auspicious sounds (such as śaṅkha-nāda) and cultivating inner clarity—steadying the mind before japa (e.g., the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) or dhyāna, as one would at the start of a Shiva puja.