Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 3
त्रिपुरदाहवर्णनम् | Tripura-dāha-varṇanam
Description of the Burning of Tripura
निवेश्य दृढमुष्टौ च दृष्टिं दृष्टौ निवेश्य च । अतिष्ठन्निश्चलस्तत्र शतं वर्षसहस्रकम्
niveśya dṛḍhamuṣṭau ca dṛṣṭiṃ dṛṣṭau niveśya ca | atiṣṭhanniścalastatra śataṃ varṣasahasrakam
Baginda menggenggam penumbuk dengan teguh dan memusatkan pandangan tanpa goyah. Di situ Baginda berdiri tidak bergerak selama seratus ribu tahun—teguh tekad bagaikan ketenangan yogi.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Śiva’s prolonged immobility and fixed gaze is narrated as yogic sovereignty: time itself is subordinated to his will; the ‘delay’ functions as līlā that ripens cosmic conditions and instructs beings through spectacle and patience.
Significance: Models dhyāna-niṣṭhā and ekāgratā; devotees take it as a template for steadiness in japa/dhyāna, trusting Śiva’s timing (tirodhāna preceding anugraha).
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: A vast yogic timespan (100,000 years) emphasizing supra-human/cosmic temporality
FAQs
It praises niścalatā—unwavering steadiness of body and mind—showing that true spiritual power (tapas) arises from disciplined concentration and long endurance, a key Shaiva ideal for ripening the soul toward Shiva’s grace.
Though the Linga is not named here, the act of fixing the gaze and remaining motionless mirrors Shaiva meditation used in Linga-upāsanā—steady attention offered to Saguna Shiva as a doorway to realizing Shiva beyond fluctuation.
A dhāraṇā-style practice: sit or stand steadily, keep the body firm, and fix the gaze at a single point (or on the Linga) while repeating a Shaiva mantra such as “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating unwavering focus.