तारकासुर-पूर्ववृत्त-प्रश्नः (Questions on Tārakāsura and Śivā’s tapas) / “Inquiry into Tārakāsura’s origin and Śivā–Śiva narrative”
ब्रह्मोवाच । इत्याकर्ण्य च तद्वाक्यं तथास्त्वित्यब्रवं मुने । अया स्वधाम तद्दत्त्वा विमनास्सस्मरच्छिवम्
brahmovāca | ityākarṇya ca tadvākyaṃ tathāstvityabravaṃ mune | ayā svadhāma taddattvā vimanāssasmaracchivam
Brahmā bersabda: “Wahai resi, setelah mendengar kata-kata itu aku menjawab, ‘Demikianlah.’ Lalu, setelah mengembalikannya ke kediamannya dan menganugerahkan karunia itu, aku pun murung sambil mengingat Śiva.”
Brahma
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it highlights Brahmā’s limited agency—he grants the boon yet becomes dejected and turns his mind to Śiva.
Significance: Teaches that even Brahmā’s boons operate under Śiva’s higher sovereignty; remembrance (smaraṇa) of Śiva is the refuge when outcomes feel karmically weighty.
Type: stotra
It shows that even Brahmā, after fulfilling a worldly duty (granting what was requested), turns inward to Śiva-smaraṇa—remembrance of Pati (Lord Śiva)—as the highest refuge when the mind is burdened or dejected.
Brahmā’s remembering Śiva emphasizes devotion to Saguna Śiva as a personal Lord who can be contemplated and adored; such remembrance naturally aligns with Linga-upāsanā, where the devotee repeatedly recollects Śiva’s presence and sovereignty.
The takeaway is Śiva-smaraṇa: silently repeating the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and meditating on Śiva when the mind is disturbed—optionally supported by Rudrākṣa japa or applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder of Śiva.