Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 57
मन्दरगिरिवर्णनम् — Description of Mount Mandara as Śiva’s Residence
Tapas-abode
एवमद्यापि तपसा तोषयित्वा द्विजं विधिम् । गौरी भवितुमिच्छामि को दोषः कथ्यतामिह
evamadyāpi tapasā toṣayitvā dvijaṃ vidhim | gaurī bhavitumicchāmi ko doṣaḥ kathyatāmiha
Même à présent, par l’austérité j’ai satisfait le Seigneur Brahmā, le Deux-fois-né, l’Ordonnateur. Je souhaite devenir Gaurī : quelle faute y a-t-il en cela ? Qu’on l’énonce ici.
Parvati (as the Goddess aspiring to the form/name Gaurī through tapas)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; the verse centers on tapas and divine authorization (Brahmā as vidhi) for the Goddess’s intended manifestation as Gaurī.
Significance: Highlights tapas as a means to remove obscuration (tirodhāna) and to manifest auspicious śakti (Gaurī); inspires vrata-like discipline for devotees seeking purity and grace.
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: liberating
FAQs
It highlights tapas as a purifying, grace-invoking discipline: by sincere austerity one becomes fit for divine transformation and for receiving higher identity in service of union with Śiva (Pati), consistent with Shaiva Siddhanta’s emphasis on maturation of the soul (paśu) through right effort and grace.
The verse reflects the devotional path where disciplined worship and austerity are offered to the divine order and ultimately to Śiva’s saguna presence; becoming “Gaurī” signals readiness for Śiva’s manifest companionship and worshipful participation in his līlā, often expressed in Purāṇic practice through liṅga-upāsanā and vowed observances.
The takeaway is steadfast tapas with focused intention—such as vrata observance, mantra-japa (especially pañcākṣarī: “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and disciplined purity—performed to please the divine and prepare oneself for Śiva’s grace.