Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 72
गिरिजातपः-परीक्षा तथा सप्तर्षि-आह्वानम्
Girijā’s Austerity-Test and the Summoning of the Seven Sages
अथ प्राणम्य तां देवीं मुनयो हृष्टमानसाः । शिवस्थानं द्रुतं जग्मुस्तत्परीक्षाकरा मुने
atha prāṇamya tāṃ devīṃ munayo hṛṣṭamānasāḥ | śivasthānaṃ drutaṃ jagmustatparīkṣākarā mune
それから聖仙たちはその女神に礼拝し、心に歓喜を満たして、シヴァの聖なる住処へと速やかに赴き、その栄光を試し確かめようとした、ああ聖者よ。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; ‘śivasthāna’ is a generic sacred abode. The ‘parīkṣā’ motif reflects the Purāṇic pattern where a tīrtha’s glory is verified through encounter, ordeal, or revelation.
Significance: Frames pilgrimage as verification through experience (parīkṣā): the sacred is not merely asserted but encountered, often through concealment (tirodhāna) preceding recognition.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It shows the proper Shaiva approach: first bowing to Devī (Shakti) with humility, then seeking Shiva’s sacred presence; inner joy and reverence become the basis for truly understanding the greatness of Shiva’s dhāma.
By going to “Shiva-sthāna,” the sages turn toward Saguna Shiva—Shiva approachable through sacred abodes and worship—where devotion, pilgrimage, and direct darśana confirm the truth of Shiva’s manifested grace.
The implied practice is praṇāma (reverential bowing) before Devī and then tīrtha-yātrā/darśana of Shiva’s abode with a focused mind—approaching the holy place as a living field for bhakti and contemplation.