Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 1
कुमाराद्भुतचरितवर्णनम् — Description of Kumāra’s Wondrous Deeds
ब्रह्मोवाच । अथ तत्र स गांगेयो दर्शयामास सूतिकाम् । तामेव शृणु सुप्रीत्या नारद त्वं स्वभक्तिदाम्
brahmovāca | atha tatra sa gāṃgeyo darśayāmāsa sūtikām | tāmeva śṛṇu suprītyā nārada tvaṃ svabhaktidām
ബ്രഹ്മാവ് അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അപ്പോൾ അവിടെ ഗംഗാപുത്രൻ ആ സൂതികയെ (പ്രസവിച്ച മാതാവിനെ) വെളിപ്പെടുത്തി. ഹേ നാരദാ, അത്യന്തം പ്രീതിയോടെ അവളെക്കുറിച്ചേ കേൾക്കുക; ഈ കഥ സ്വസ്വാമിയായ ശിവനോടുള്ള ഭക്തി നൽകുന്നു.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: teaching
FAQs
It emphasizes śravaṇa (devotional listening) as a direct means to awaken steadfast bhakti toward one’s chosen Lord—here oriented to Śiva—showing that sacred narration itself purifies and turns the heart toward Pati (the Lord).
By stating that this account ‘bestows devotion,’ the verse frames the coming narrative as a bhakti-pravartaka (devotion-generating) teaching that supports Saguna Śiva-upāsanā—devotion expressed through hearing, remembrance, and later ritual worship such as Liṅga-pūjā.
The implied practice is attentive listening to Śiva-kathā with suprīti (loving faith), followed by remembrance (smaraṇa); as a Shaiva takeaway, one may pair such listening with japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to stabilize the devotion the कथा is said to grant.