Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 31
मन्दरगिरिवर्णनम् — Description of Mount Mandara as Śiva’s Residence
Tapas-abode
एवमभ्यर्थितो धात्रा भगवान्नीललोहितः । कालीत्याह रहस्यं वां निन्दयन्निव सस्मितः
evamabhyarthito dhātrā bhagavānnīlalohitaḥ | kālītyāha rahasyaṃ vāṃ nindayanniva sasmitaḥ
Ainsi, supplié par le Créateur (Dhātṛ, Brahmā), le Seigneur bienheureux Nīlalohita—souriant comme dans une douce réprimande—prononça pour vous deux le nom secret : « Kālī ».
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā account to the sages, quoting the event involving Shiva and Brahma)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha
Mantra: काली
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: liberating
FAQs
It highlights that Shiva’s sacred names can be “rahasya” (esoteric), revealed only through divine grace; the Lord’s smiling, seemingly reproachful tone suggests that the mystery of Shakti and Shiva is not grasped by mere authority but by humility and inner readiness.
Nīlalohita is Saguna Shiva—approachable through name, form, and mantra. The verse points to mantra-upāsanā (worship through sacred utterance) as a doorway to the same Supreme Reality worshipped as the Linga.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa with reverence—repeating Shiva’s names as taught by tradition—paired with inner restraint and devotion; this aligns with Shaiva practice of mantra-focused meditation leading the mind toward Pati (Shiva).