Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 11
दक्षयज्ञदर्शनम् — The Vision of Dakṣa’s Great Sacrifice
and the Onset of Vīrabhadra’s Terror
अग्नयो नैव दीप्यंते न च दीप्यति भास्करः । ग्रहाश्च न प्रकाशंते नक्षत्राणि च तारकाः
agnayo naiva dīpyaṃte na ca dīpyati bhāskaraḥ | grahāśca na prakāśaṃte nakṣatrāṇi ca tārakāḥ
Les feux ne flambent pas, et le Soleil ne brille point ; les planètes ne donnent aucune clarté, pas plus que les constellations et les étoiles — car, en cet état, toute luminosité est retirée.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga-sthala passage; the verse depicts cosmic withdrawal of light as a sign of Śiva’s overpowering presence/approaching dissolution, a narrative motif rather than a local origin legend.
Significance: Contemplation of pralaya-like darkness cultivates vairāgya and dependence on Śiva as the sole Light (prakāśa) beyond sun and fire.
Cosmic Event: Pralaya-like withdrawal of prakāśa (luminosity) from agni, sūrya, graha, nakṣatra—an omen of divine irruption and/or saṃhāra/tirodhāna.
FAQs
It points to a condition where all external sources of illumination fail, indicating the transcendence of worldly supports and the turn toward the Supreme Light (Shiva) that is not dependent on sun, fire, or stars.
When cosmic lights are described as ineffective, the teaching implies that true refuge is Shiva alone; the Linga, as the symbol of the eternal Pati, becomes the focal support for devotion and contemplation beyond changing phenomena.
Meditate on Shiva as the inner Light while japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), using vibhuti (Tripundra) and Rudraksha to steady the mind and withdraw attention from external sense-objects.