Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 57
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
तमजं शंकरं साक्षात्तेजोराशिमुमापतिम् । सर्वज्ञं सर्वकर्तारं नीललोहितसंज्ञकम्
tamajaṃ śaṃkaraṃ sākṣāttejorāśimumāpatim | sarvajñaṃ sarvakartāraṃ nīlalohitasaṃjñakam
បន្ទាប់មក គាត់បានឃើញព្រះសង្ករៈ—មិនកើត និងបង្ហាញដោយផ្ទាល់—ជាមហាសមុទ្រពន្លឺទេវៈ ព្រះប្តីនៃឧមា; ព្រះដឹងគ្រប់យ៉ាង អ្នកបង្កើតគ្រប់យ៉ាង ដែលល្បីនាមថា នីលលោហិត។
Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudrasaṃhitā account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha
Sthala Purana: The epithet Nīlalohita is Vedic-Rudra in flavor and not a Jyotirliṅga-specific marker here; the verse is a vision-description (darśana) emphasizing direct manifestation (sākṣāt).
Significance: Darśana of Śaṅkara as ‘tejorāśi’ models the goal of pilgrimage and worship: direct encounter with the luminous Lord who is sarvajña and sarvakartṛ.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Umā
Role: nurturing
Offering: dipa
FAQs
It presents Shiva as Pati—the unborn, self-manifest Lord—who is both transcendent (a radiant tejorāśi) and immanent as the all-knowing, all-doing source of cosmic order, guiding the soul toward liberation.
By describing Shiva as directly manifest and radiant, it supports Saguna upāsanā: devotees approach the Supreme through a perceivable form—such as the Śiva-liṅga—while recognizing Him as the ultimate creator and knower beyond form.
Meditate on Shiva as a sphere of light (tejorāśi) while repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and worship the Śiva-liṅga with bhakti, holding the awareness of Him as Umāpati and Sarvajña.