Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 47
तुलसी-शङ्खचूडोपाख्यानम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and the Tulasī Episode
Prelude to Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Fall
वृक्षाधिष्ठातृदेवी त्वं वैकुंठे दिव्यरूपिणी । सार्द्धं रहसि हरिणा नित्यं क्रीडां करिष्यसि
vṛkṣādhiṣṭhātṛdevī tvaṃ vaikuṃṭhe divyarūpiṇī | sārddhaṃ rahasi hariṇā nityaṃ krīḍāṃ kariṣyasi
Sesungguhnya engkaulah Dewi pelindung yang memerintah pepohon. Di Vaikuṇṭha, dengan menyandang rupa ilahi, engkau akan bermain lila secara rahsia bersama Hari untuk selama-lamanya.
Lord Shiva (as narrator/authority within Rudra Saṃhitā’s Yuddhakhaṇḍa discourse, conveyed through Sūta’s narration)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Sthala Purana: Defines an adhiṣṭhātrī-devī function (tree-presiding goddess) and locates her divine sport in Vaikuṇṭha with Hari; it is a cosmological/ritual ontology statement, not a Jyotirliṅga narrative.
Significance: Supports reverence toward sacred flora and the idea that worship materials are ensouled by presiding divinities; encourages non-violence and sanctity in gathering leaves/flowers for pūjā.
Shakti Form: Lalitā
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: Vaikuṇṭha-līlā (eternal divine sport)
FAQs
The verse highlights karmic fruition and divine grace: a being attains a specific divine office (adhiṣṭhātrī-devī) and an exalted abode. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, such stations are results within saṁsāra granted by Īśvara’s anugraha, distinct from final liberation (mokṣa).
Though the verse names Hari and Vaikuṇṭha, it appears within Shiva Purana’s Shaiva frame where Shiva is the ultimate bestower of fruits. Worship of Saguna Shiva (often via the Liṅga) is portrayed as a direct means to obtain divine favor, roles, and higher worlds—while also orienting the devotee toward Shiva’s supreme lordship.
The practical takeaway is steady bhakti with disciplined purity: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and Liṅga-pūjā with bhasma and rudrākṣa, offered with restraint of speech and mind (rahas—inner recollection), to seek Shiva’s grace rather than merely worldly outcomes.