Shloka 1
एकोनविंशतिशिवावतारवर्णनम्
Description of the Nineteen Manifestations/Avatāras of Śiva
शिव उवाच । दशमे द्वापरे व्यासस्त्रिधामा नामतो मुनि । हिमवच्छिखरे रम्ये भृगुतुंगे नगोत्तमे
śiva uvāca | daśame dvāpare vyāsastridhāmā nāmato muni | himavacchikhare ramye bhṛgutuṃge nagottame
Śiva bersabda: “Pada Dvāpara yang kesepuluh, ada seorang resi bernama Vyāsa, dikenal sebagai Tridhāmā. Baginda bersemayam di puncak Himalaya yang indah—di Bhṛgutunga, yang terbaik antara gunung-gunung.”
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: The verse locates a Himalayan sacred geography; while not explicitly naming Kedāra, the Himavat-śikhara setting naturally evokes Kedāranātha’s Jyotirliṅga milieu where Śiva is approached through austerity and hiddenness (tirodhāna) before grace.
Significance: Himalayan peaks signify tapas and withdrawal; pilgrimage symbolizes moving from worldly noise to contemplative receptivity to Śiva’s instruction.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Dvāpara-yuga (tenth Dvāpara cycle mentioned)
FAQs
It establishes the sacred setting and time—Dvāpara Yuga and the Himalayan peak—showing that realized sages situated in pure places become fit vessels for Śiva’s revelation and for transmitting Shaiva dharma.
By having Śiva speak directly and by locating the narrative in a sanctified Himalayan tirtha, the text frames Saguna Śiva’s grace as accessible through sacred tradition and place—often culminating in Linga-centered devotion and instruction in later verses.
The verse implies the Shaiva practice of seeking sattvic surroundings for japa and dhyāna—especially steady remembrance of Śiva (often through the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) in a sanctified space.