Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 54
विष्णूत्पत्तिवर्णनम्
Description of the Origin/Manifestation of Viṣṇu
नारायणेति नामापि तस्यसीच्छ्रुतिसंमतम् । नान्यत्किंचित्तदा ह्यासीत्प्राकृतं पुरुषं विना
nārāyaṇeti nāmāpi tasyasīcchrutisaṃmatam | nānyatkiṃcittadā hyāsītprākṛtaṃ puruṣaṃ vinā
ആ (പരമതത്ത്വ)ത്തിന് ‘നാരായണ’ എന്ന നാമവും ശ്രുതി-സമ്മതമായി അംഗീകരിക്കപ്പെട്ടു. കാരണം അപ്പോൾ ആദിമ പ്രാകൃത പുരുഷനെ ഒഴികെ മറ്റൊന്നും യാതൊന്നും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല।
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Rudra Saṃhitā’s creation account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: By acknowledging ‘Nārāyaṇa’ as śruti-saṃmata yet limiting the scene to prākṛta-puruṣa, the verse supports a Śaiva reading: names/titles can be Vedic-valid at a functional level, while ultimate pati remains beyond—pilgrimage and śāstra-study refine discernment (viveka) toward the highest.
Mantra: nārāyaṇa
Cosmic Event: pre-manifest stage where only prākṛta-puruṣa is posited as present
FAQs
It teaches that in the beginning only the primordial Cosmic Principle existed, and that Vedic revelation can refer to the One Supreme through different sanctioned names; the seeker should look beyond mere nomenclature to the ultimate Reality (Pati) that precedes all manifestation.
By stating that nothing existed besides the primordial Puruṣa, the verse supports the Shaiva view that all forms of worship (including the Śiva-liṅga as a sacred, accessible symbol) point back to the pre-cosmic Supreme who later becomes knowable through saguna manifestations for devotees.
Meditate on the One Supreme as the source prior to creation—using a Veda-sanctioned name and mantra-japa (such as the Panchākṣarī, Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to move from name-and-form (saguṇa) toward inner stillness and the transcendent (nirguṇa).