Shloka 54
नभगोपाख्यानम्
Nabhaga-Upākhyāna: The Account of Nabhaga and Shiva-Jñāna
नन्दीश्वर उवाच । इत्युक्त्वा तात भगवान्स रुद्रः सत्यवत्सलः । सर्वेषाम्पश्यतान्तेषान्तत्रैवान्तर्दधे हरः
nandīśvara uvāca | ityuktvā tāta bhagavānsa rudraḥ satyavatsalaḥ | sarveṣāmpaśyatānteṣāntatraivāntardadhe haraḥ
Nandīśvara berkata: “Setelah berkata demikian, wahai anak yang dikasihi, Tuhan Rudra yang diberkati, yang sentiasa mengasihi kebenaran, lenyap dari pandangan di tempat itu juga, ketika mereka semua sedang memandang.”
Nandishvara (Nandi)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Sthala Purana: Though not a Jyotirliṅga account, the motif of sudden disappearance echoes ‘tirodhāna’: Śiva reveals, instructs, then withdraws from gross perception, leaving a transformed field of devotion.
Significance: Contemplative takeaway: Śiva’s presence is not confined to visibility; His withdrawal invites interiorization (antar-mukhatā) and sustained bhakti beyond epiphany.
FAQs
It shows Rudra’s sovereign freedom (svātantrya) to reveal and withdraw His form: after giving instruction, He becomes unseen, indicating that realization depends on His grace and the seeker’s steadiness in truth (satya) and devotion.
Even when the visible form of Saguna Shiva withdraws, devotees continue worship through the enduring symbol of presence—the Śiva-liṅga—where Hara is approached as both manifest (for bhakti) and transcendent (beyond sight).
Maintain satya and japa with the pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while visualizing Hara in the heart-lotus; the verse supports steady remembrance (smaraṇa) even when external signs or visions fade.