Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 34
दक्षस्य रुद्रनिन्दा-निमित्तकथनम् / The Cause of Dakṣa’s Censure of Rudra
सहस्राणि शतान्यष्टौ तदानीं पुरतो ययुः । तेषां मध्ये वृषारूढो गजारूढो यथा गुरुः
sahasrāṇi śatānyaṣṭau tadānīṃ purato yayuḥ | teṣāṃ madhye vṛṣārūḍho gajārūḍho yathā guruḥ
Então, oitocentos mil avançaram à frente. No meio deles estava aquele que montava o touro, como um venerável preceptor, como se estivesse assentado sobre um elefante, elevando-se em majestade acima de todos.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
FAQs
The verse presents Shiva as the central, guiding presence—like the Guru—amidst vast multitudes, implying that liberation and right movement in life arise when the soul (pashu) is oriented toward Pati, the Lord who leads from within and above.
By depicting Shiva in a visible, iconic form (Vrisharudha—mounted on Nandi), it supports Saguna upasana: devotion to the manifest Lord. Such visualization naturally complements Linga worship, where the same Shiva is adored as the supreme reality accessible through symbol and form.
A practical takeaway is dhyana on Shiva as Vrisharudha (with Nandi), coupled with japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namah Shivaya,” cultivating guru-bhava—seeing Shiva as the inner teacher guiding one beyond bondage (pasha).