Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 58
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
दृष्ट्वा नत्वा महाभक्त्या स्तुत्वाहं तु प्रहर्षितः । अवोचं देवदेवेशं सृज त्वं विविधाः प्रजाः
dṛṣṭvā natvā mahābhaktyā stutvāhaṃ tu praharṣitaḥ | avocaṃ devadeveśaṃ sṛja tvaṃ vividhāḥ prajāḥ
त्यांना पाहून मी महाभक्तीने नमस्कार केला; स्तुती करताना मी हर्षाने भरून गेलो. मग देवदेवेशाला म्हणालो—“आपण विविध प्रजांची सृष्टी करा.”
Brahma (addressing Lord Shiva)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: This is a cosmogonic petition: Brahmā, after darśana and stuti, requests Śiva to create diverse beings. It is not a localized sthala narrative.
Significance: Models the pilgrim-devotee’s sequence: darśana → namaskāra → stuti → petition; emphasizes that even creation proceeds by Śiva’s sanction, encouraging surrender (śaraṇāgati).
Mantra: sṛja tvaṃ vividhāḥ prajāḥ
Type: stotra
Role: creative
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: commissioning of creation (sṛṣṭi) after theophany
FAQs
The verse places bhakti, surrender, and praise before cosmic activity: Brahma first beholds and worships Shiva (Pati), then seeks His sanction for creation, showing that all sṛṣṭi proceeds under Shiva’s lordship and grace.
Brahma addresses Shiva as Devadeveśa in a personal, worshipful mode—an explicitly saguna orientation—illustrating that devotion to Shiva’s manifest lordly form is a valid gateway to understanding His supreme governance over creation.
The practical takeaway is a threefold sādhana: darśana (contemplative beholding), namaskāra (prostration), and stuti/japa (praise or mantra-recitation, such as the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) before beginning any significant undertaking.