Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 36
हिरण्यनेत्रस्य तपः — Hiraṇyanetra’s Austerity and the Boon
शुभं दृढं तत्र पुरं स कृत्वा मुदास्थितो दैत्यपतिः प्रभावात् । निवेशयामास पुनः क्रमेण अत्यद्भुतं मन्दरशैलसानौ
śubhaṃ dṛḍhaṃ tatra puraṃ sa kṛtvā mudāsthito daityapatiḥ prabhāvāt | niveśayāmāsa punaḥ krameṇa atyadbhutaṃ mandaraśailasānau
അവിടെ ശുഭവും ദൃഢവുമായ ഒരു കോട്ടനഗരം പണിത ശേഷം ദാനവാധിപൻ തന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്തിൽ ആനന്ദിച്ചു. പിന്നെ അവൻ ക്രമമായി മന്ദരപർവതത്തിന്റെ ചരിവിൽ അത്യദ്ഭുതമായ ഒരു നഗരം സ്ഥാപിച്ചു।
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It highlights how worldly strength and splendid constructions can inflate ego (ahaṅkāra). In Shaiva thought, power without surrender to Pati (Śiva) binds the soul (paśu) more tightly in pāśa, setting the stage for dharma to reassert itself through Shiva’s will.
The verse contrasts an asuric reliance on fortresses and might with the Shaiva refuge in Saguna Shiva—approached through the Liṅga as the stable center of protection. True ‘dṛḍhatā’ (firm security) is obtained by devotion and alignment with Shiva, not by external fortification.
A practical takeaway is to replace pride in external supports with inner grounding: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and wearing Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder that all constructed power is transient, while Shiva alone is the enduring refuge.