Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 3
अन्धक-प्रश्नः — Inquiry into Andhaka
Genealogy and Nature
ब्रह्मोवाच । जलंधरवधं श्रुत्वा व्यासस्सत्यवतीसुतः । अप्राक्षीदिममेवार्थं ब्रह्मपुत्रं मुनीश्वरम्
brahmovāca | jalaṃdharavadhaṃ śrutvā vyāsassatyavatīsutaḥ | aprākṣīdimamevārthaṃ brahmaputraṃ munīśvaram
Brahmā berkata: “Setelah mendengar pembinasaan Jalandhara, Vyāsa putra Satyavatī menanyakan perkara ini juga kepada putra Brahmā, sang maharṣi.”
Brahma
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: No Jyotirliṅga; this is a narrative frame establishing the transmission lineage: hearing of Jalandhara’s death prompts Vyāsa’s inquiry to Sanatkumāra.
Significance: Highlights guru-śiṣya inquiry as a sacred conduit: kathā is preserved through questioning and authoritative response.
FAQs
The verse highlights the Shaiva method of transmission: when a profound event (like Jalandhara’s fall) is heard, a qualified seeker (Vyāsa) approaches a realized authority (a Brahma-born sage) to understand the deeper dharmic and spiritual meaning behind Shiva’s acts—seeing them as protection of cosmic order and removal of spiritual ignorance.
Though the Linga is not named here, the narrative frame supports Saguna Shiva devotion: Shiva’s historical līlā (such as subduing Jalandhara) becomes a basis for faith, inquiry, and right understanding—leading devotees to worship Shiva as the compassionate Lord who restores dharma and grants grace.
The implied practice is śravaṇa and manana—devotional listening to Shiva Purana kathā followed by inquiry and reflection with a competent teacher; this can be paired with daily japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to internalize Shiva’s grace and dharmic discernment.