Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 52
तुलसी-शङ्खचूडोपाख्यानम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and the Tulasī Episode
Prelude to Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Fall
शालग्रामशिला विष्णो तुलस्यास्तव संगमः । सदा सादृश्यरूपा या बहुपुण्यविवर्द्धिनी
śālagrāmaśilā viṣṇo tulasyāstava saṃgamaḥ | sadā sādṛśyarūpā yā bahupuṇyavivarddhinī
Wahai Viṣṇu, batu Śālagrāma dan penyatuan suci dengan Tulasī-Mu sentiasa sepadan dalam sifat yang bertuah, serta sangat memperkaya puṇya yang berlipat ganda.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: States the ever-auspicious pairing: Śālagrāma-śilā (Viṣṇu emblem) with Tulasī association; their ‘saṅgama’ is said to multiply puṇya—codifying a standard worship protocol.
Significance: Merit through proper upacāra: pairing the emblem with its प्रिय-द्रव्य (beloved offering) is framed as a puṇya-multiplier.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights that certain sacred supports of devotion—Śālagrāma and Tulasī—when joined in worship, powerfully multiply puṇya; in a Shaiva Siddhanta framing, such puṇya purifies the paśu (bound soul) and prepares it for Shiva’s grace (anugraha) leading toward liberation.
Though centered on Viṣṇu’s Śālagrāma and Tulasī, the verse underscores a broader Purāṇic principle: offering the proper, scripturally praised substances with devotion strengthens saguna-upāsanā; similarly, in Linga worship, prescribed offerings and reverent association with Shiva’s symbols intensify bhakti and inner purification.
Perform simple daily pūjā with disciplined purity—honoring the deity’s emblem (such as Śālagrāma in Vaiṣṇava practice) together with Tulasī offerings; for Shaiva practice, the parallel takeaway is steady, rule-based devotion (nitya-pūjā) supported by mantra-japa (e.g., the Panchakshara) to cultivate merit and readiness for Shiva’s grace.