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Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 13

हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्

The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms

सृष्टिप्रवृत्तिकामस्य कथं ज्ञानं प्रजायते । यतो लब्धो विवेकोऽपि न मया हंसरूपिणा

sṛṣṭipravṛttikāmasya kathaṃ jñānaṃ prajāyate | yato labdho viveko'pi na mayā haṃsarūpiṇā

സൃഷ്ടിയെ പ്രവൃത്തിപ്പിക്കണമെന്ന ആഗ്രഹത്തിൽ നയിക്കപ്പെടുന്നവനിൽ യഥാർത്ഥ ജ്ഞാനം എങ്ങനെ ജനിക്കും? ഞാനും—ഹംസരൂപത്തിലായിരുന്നിട്ടും—തത്ത്വത്തെ യഥാർത്ഥമായി അറിയിക്കുന്ന ആ വിവേകം നേടാനായില്ല.

sṛṣṭi-pravṛtti-kāmasyaof (one) desirous of creative activity
sṛṣṭi-pravṛtti-kāmasya:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
TypeAdjective
Rootsṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + pravṛtti (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी) Singular (एकवचन); Tatpuruṣa ‘of one desiring engagement in creation’; genitive qualifier (implicit ‘mama/asya’)
kathamhow
katham:
Prakāra (प्रकार/Manner)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootkatham (अव्यय)
FormPraśna-avyaya (प्रश्न/interrogative adverb)
jñānamknowledge
jñānam:
Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootjñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNapumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन)
prajāyatearises, is born
prajāyate:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootpra√jan (धातु)
FormLaṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथमपुरुष), Eka-vacana (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)
yataḥsince/because
yataḥ:
Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyataḥ (अव्यय)
FormKāraṇa-avyaya (कारण/causal indeclinable)
labdhaḥobtained
labdhaḥ:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate participle)
TypeVerb
Root√labh (धातु)
FormKṛdanta: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā Singular; agrees with ‘vivekaḥ’
vivekaḥdiscernment
vivekaḥ:
Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootviveka (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga, Prathamā Singular
apieven/also
api:
Sambandha-bhāva (सम्बन्ध/Addition)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormSambhāvanā/Samuccaya-avyaya (अपि/also, even)
nanot
na:
Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/Negation)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
FormNiṣedha-avyaya (निषेध/negative particle)
mayāby me
mayā:
Kartā (कर्ता/Agent in passive sense)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormSarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया) Singular (एकवचन)
haṃsa-rūpiṇā(by me) in swan-form
haṃsa-rūpiṇā:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Roothaṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया) Singular; Tatpuruṣa ‘having the form of a swan’; qualifies ‘mayā’

Brahma (reflecting on the limits of knowledge while engaged in creation)

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadyojāta

B
Brahma
S
Shiva

FAQs

It teaches that jñāna (liberating knowledge) does not arise from desire-driven outward activity; true viveka dawns when the mind turns from pravṛtti toward the Supreme Pati, Shiva.

It implies that creation-oriented ambition cannot yield final clarity; worship of Shiva—often through the Linga as Saguna support—purifies the mind and leads to viveka that culminates in knowledge of Shiva beyond form.

A practical takeaway is to reduce desire-driven agitation and take up Shiva-japa (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with contemplative discrimination (viveka) to steady the mind toward moksha.