Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 59
संध्याचरित्रवर्णनम् (Sandhyā-caritra-varṇanam) — “Narration of Sandhyā’s Austerity and Encounter with Śiva”
चंद्रस्य शापमोक्षार्थं जाता चंद्रनदी तदा । सृष्टा धात्रा तदैवात्र मेधातिथिरुपस्थितः
caṃdrasya śāpamokṣārthaṃ jātā caṃdranadī tadā | sṛṣṭā dhātrā tadaivātra medhātithirupasthitaḥ
അപ്പോൾ ചന്ദ്രന്റെ ശാപമോചനാർത്ഥം ‘ചന്ദ്രനദി’ എന്ന നദി ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു. അതേ സമയത്ത് സ്രഷ്ടാവായ ധാത്രൻ മേധാതിഥിയെയും സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു, അവൻ അവിടെ പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vaidyanātha
Jyotirlinga: Somanātha
Sthala Purana: For Soma’s śāpa-mokṣa, a remedial sacred geography manifests: Candranadī arises as a purifying river; such ‘tīrtha-creation’ motifs support Soma’s later restoration through Śiva’s grace, central to Somnāth lore.
Significance: Bathing/ācamanam in the associated river-tīrtha is framed as aiding purification and relief from afflictions tied to Soma (mind, emotions, cycles).
Role: nurturing
Cosmic Event: Providential manifestation of a river for śāpa-mokṣa (restorative cosmic adjustment)
FAQs
It frames liberation from suffering (śāpa) as possible through divinely ordered means—here symbolized by a purifying sacred river and the timely appearance of a sage—pointing to Śiva’s overarching grace that transforms bondage into a path toward release.
Though the verse itself mentions the river and the sage, the Satīkhaṇḍa narrative typically moves toward remedy through devotion and sacred acts; in Śaiva practice this culminates in seeking Saguna Śiva’s grace via worship (often centered on the Liṅga) to neutralize karmic afflictions and restore auspiciousness.
A practical takeaway is purification and prayer: bathing/ablutions in a tīrtha (sacred water), followed by Śiva-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and simple Liṅga-pūjā with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) as a sign of Śaiva surrender.