Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 46
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
वैकारिकस्तृतीयश्च इत्येते प्रकृतास्त्रयः । एवं चाष्टविधास्सर्गाः प्रकृतेर्वेकृतैः सह
vaikārikastṛtīyaśca ityete prakṛtāstrayaḥ | evaṃ cāṣṭavidhāssargāḥ prakṛtervekṛtaiḥ saha
«Третье называется Вайкарика; таковы три пракрита-творения, рождённые природой. Таким образом, вместе с вайкрита-творениями, то есть изменёнными, излияния Пракрити именуются восьми видами.»
Suta Goswami (narrating Purāṇic cosmology to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: eightfold sarga framework (prakṛta triad plus vaikṛta evolutes)
FAQs
It frames creation as an ordered unfolding of Prakṛti (nature) into distinct categories, reminding the seeker that the manifest world is a product of evolutes; recognizing this supports dispassion and turning toward Pati (Śiva), the transcendent Lord beyond Prakṛti.
By distinguishing Prakṛti and its evolutions, the verse indirectly points to Śiva as the supreme ground who is not limited to created categories; Linga-worship centers the mind on that Pati who pervades creation yet remains beyond it, making Saguna worship a doorway to realizing the transcendent.
A practical takeaway is tattva-vicāra (contemplation on the evolutes of Prakṛti) alongside japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to steady the mind and shift identity from the created (prakṛta/vaikṛta) to the Lord (Śiva).