Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 19
मन्दरगिरिवर्णनम् — Description of Mount Mandara as Śiva’s Residence
Tapas-abode
ग्रसन्निव जगत्सर्वं पिबन्निव पयोनिधिम् । वमन्निव तमोन्तस्थं माद्यन्निव खमम्बुदैः
grasanniva jagatsarvaṃ pibanniva payonidhim | vamanniva tamontasthaṃ mādyanniva khamambudaiḥ
Parecia como se engolisse o universo inteiro, como se bebesse o oceano; como se vomitasse a escuridão oculta em seu interior; e como se se embriagasse no céu com as nuvens.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Though the verse itself is metaphorical, its imagery—swallowing the universe, drinking the ocean, expelling darkness—resonates strongly with Mahākāla as Time who consumes all. This aligns thematically with Mahākāleśvara’s identity as the Lord of Time and dissolution.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death/time, removal of tamas and inner darkness, and stabilization of dharma through awareness of impermanence.
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Offering: dhupa
Cosmic Event: Storm-cosmos imagery (cloud-intoxication) evokes pralaya-like turbulence; ‘vomiting darkness’ suggests the expulsion of tamas at the threshold of dissolution/renewal.
FAQs
The verse uses cosmic imagery to show a power that overwhelms creation, oceans, and darkness—pointing to Shiva as Pati, the supreme Lord who alone can consume limitation and expel inner tamas, leading the bound soul (paśu) toward liberation.
Such descriptions support Saguna contemplation: devotees meditate on Shiva’s manifest majesty—often symbolized by the Linga as the axis of the cosmos—whose presence subdues darkness and dissolves fear, preparing the mind for deeper realization.
A practical takeaway is tamas-removal through japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Tripuṇḍra bhasma and Rudrāksha, while meditating on Shiva as the inner light that casts out the darkness within.