Shloka 40
शिवसतीविवाहोत्तरलीला — Post‑marital Līlā of Śiva and Satī
तस्मिन्काले महादेवस्सह सत्या धरोत्तमे । रेमे स सुचिरं छन्दं निकुंजेषु नदीषु च
tasminkāle mahādevassaha satyā dharottame | reme sa suciraṃ chandaṃ nikuṃjeṣu nadīṣu ca
તે સમયે મહાદેવ સતી સાથે તે પરમ પવિત્ર ઉત્તમ ધરા પર, કુંજોમાં અને નદીઓના કાંઠે, પોતાની ઇચ્છાથી લાંબા સમય સુધી આનંદથી વિહાર કરતા રહ્યા।
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse depicts Śiva’s divine sport (līlā) with Satī in sacred landscapes (groves, rivers), a common Purāṇic marker of kṣetra-puṇya.
Significance: General teaching: association with Śiva–Śakti līlā sanctifies place and mind; contemplation yields puṇya and softens bondage (pāśa) toward receptivity for grace.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva as the sovereign Pati whose actions arise from free divine will (chanda), showing that even worldly-like enjoyment becomes a sacred līlā when rooted in Śiva–Śakti unity and purity of consciousness.
It supports Saguna worship by portraying Śiva in a personal, accessible form engaged in līlā with Satī; devotees contemplate this divine presence to stabilize bhakti and then mature toward inner realization of Śiva as the indwelling Lord.
Meditate on Śiva–Śakti together (ardha-nārī/union principle) while japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; if practicing, apply tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and cultivate inner purity, seeing rivers and groves as reminders of sacred presence.