Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 60
हिरण्यनेत्रस्य तपः — Hiraṇyanetra’s Austerity and the Boon
एतर्हि यद्यद्रुचितं तवास्ति गृहाण तद्वै खलु राक्षस त्वम् । एतावदुक्त्वा विरराम शंभुस्तपस्विवेषः पुरतस्तु तेषाम्
etarhi yadyadrucitaṃ tavāsti gṛhāṇa tadvai khalu rākṣasa tvam | etāvaduktvā virarāma śaṃbhustapasviveṣaḥ puratastu teṣām
“Sekarang, apa pun yang engkau kehendaki, wahai Rākṣasa, ambillah itu.” Setelah berkata demikian saja, Śambhu yang berwujud tapasvin pun terdiam di hadapan mereka.
Lord Shiva (Śambhu) in the guise of an ascetic (tapasvī)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana
FAQs
Śiva’s brief consent—spoken while remaining inwardly detached—highlights the Shaiva Siddhanta insight that the Lord (Pati) can grant worldly outcomes without being bound by them, while the bound being (paśu) is revealed by its desires.
Śambhu appearing as a tapasvī shows Saguna Śiva’s accessible compassion: devotees worship the Linga as the steady presence of the same Lord who can also manifest in forms and disguises to instruct, test, and protect.
Adopt tapas-like restraint: apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with remembrance of Śiva, and repeat the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to purify desire into devotion and discernment.