Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 41
शिवतत्त्वे परापरभावविचारः
Inquiry into Śiva’s Principle and the Parā–Aparā Paradox
स्तन्यमाज्ञापयन्देव्याः पाययित्वामृतोपमम् । तवावतारो जगतां हितायेत्यनुशास्य च
stanyamājñāpayandevyāḥ pāyayitvāmṛtopamam | tavāvatāro jagatāṃ hitāyetyanuśāsya ca
Il ordonna à la Déesse d’offrir le lait de son sein; puis, t’ayant fait boire ce lait semblable à l’amṛta, il ajouta cet enseignement : «Ta descente est pour le bien des mondes».
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā account to the sages)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Significance: Frames the avatāra of Skanda as loka-hita (welfare of worlds), a common purāṇic rationale that undergirds pilgrimage as participation in divine grace (anugraha).
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It frames an avatāra as an act of grace meant for jagat-hita (the welfare of all beings), showing that divine descent is guided by compassion and dharmic purpose rather than personal need.
By emphasizing avatāra (a manifest, accessible form), the verse supports Saguna-oriented devotion—approaching the Divine through concrete, compassionate manifestations—while remaining aligned with Shaiva teaching that such forms serve the liberation and upliftment of souls.
The practical takeaway is bhakti grounded in service to loka-hita: worship with the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and cultivate compassionate conduct, seeing devotion as meant to benefit the world as well as the self.