Shloka 24
गिरिजातपः-परीक्षा तथा सप्तर्षि-आह्वानम्
Girijā’s Austerity-Test and the Summoning of the Seven Sages
करिष्यथ प्रहासं मे श्रुत्वा वाचो ह्यसंभवाः । संकोचो वर्णनाद्विप्रा भवत्येव करोमि किम्
kariṣyatha prahāsaṃ me śrutvā vāco hyasaṃbhavāḥ | saṃkoco varṇanādviprā bhavatyeva karomi kim
“Mendengar kata-kataku—yang tampak seakan mustahil—kalian mungkin mentertawakanku. Wahai para brāhmaṇa, ada rasa segan yang wajar ketika hendak menghuraikannya; apakah dayaku, apabila rasa malu timbul saat bercerita?”
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights the narrator’s humility and the transcendence of Śiva’s līlā: divine realities can appear “impossible” to ordinary logic, so the listener is encouraged to receive the account with śraddhā (reverent faith) rather than ridicule.
By admitting that words fall short, the verse points to the truth that Saguna forms (like the Liṅga and Śiva’s līlās) are compassionate means for devotees to approach the ineffable Nirguna reality—worship becomes a bridge where mere description cannot reach.
The practical takeaway is śravaṇa (devout listening) and smaraṇa (remembrance): hear the Purāṇic narration with faith and steady the mind with japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so the heart receives what the intellect may doubt.