Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 19
मनु-शतरूपा-प्रसूतिः तथा दक्षकन्याविवाहाः
Manu–Śatarūpā, Prasūti, and the Marriages of Dakṣa’s Daughters
सा मेनायामाविरभूत्पुत्री हिमवतो गिरेः । रुद्रस्तु तां सतीं दृष्ट्वा रुद्रांस्त्वात्मसमप्रभान् । यथासृजदसंख्यातांस्तथा कथितमेव च । भृगोः ख्यात्यां समुत्पन्ना लक्ष्मीर्नारायणप्रिया
sā menāyāmāvirabhūtputrī himavato gireḥ | rudrastu tāṃ satīṃ dṛṣṭvā rudrāṃstvātmasamaprabhān | yathāsṛjadasaṃkhyātāṃstathā kathitameva ca | bhṛgoḥ khyātyāṃ samutpannā lakṣmīrnārāyaṇapriyā
Dia menampakkan diri sebagai puteri Menā dan Himavat, raja segala gunung. Ketika Rudra memandang Satī itu, Baginda menzahirkan tidak terbilang Rudra, bercahaya setara dengan kemuliaan-Nya sendiri—sebagaimana telah dihuraikan. Demikian juga Lakṣmī, kekasih Nārāyaṇa, lahir daripada Bhṛgu dan Khyāti.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: Himavat’s daughter (Pārvatī) is foregrounded; Himalayan Śaiva geography naturally evokes Kedāra traditions where Pārvatī’s tapas and Śiva’s presence are central in later sthala narratives.
Significance: Pilgrimage to Himalayan Śiva-sthalas is associated with purification through tapas-bhāva and remembrance of Śiva–Pārvatī’s reunion after Satī’s re-manifestation.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Cosmic Event: Emanational multiplication of Rudra-forms (rudrāḥ) upon beholding Satī/Pārvatī—an expansion motif within cosmic governance.
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord whose power to manifest is limitless—showing that divine forms (like the countless Rudras) arise from his conscious will, while Satī’s appearance signals the Lord’s līlā within the world for guiding beings toward liberation.
By describing Rudra’s innumerable emanations, the verse supports Saguna worship: devotees may approach Śiva through many forms and names, while understanding that all forms are rooted in the one Lord—symbolized integrally by the Śiva-liṅga as the unified presence beyond multiplicity.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Śiva as the one source behind many Rudra-forms and repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating single-pointed devotion (bhakti) and recognition of the Lord’s all-pervading sovereignty.