Shloka 58

देवादिसृष्टिकथनम् (वसिष्ठशोकः, पराशरजन्म, एकलिङ्गपूजा, रुद्रदर्शनम्)

Devanagari script

शक्ते स्वं च सुतं पश्य भ्रातृभिः सह षण्मुखम् यथा महेश्वरो ऽपश्यत् सगणो हृषिताननः

Transliteration

śakte svaṃ ca sutaṃ paśya bhrātṛbhiḥ saha ṣaṇmukham yathā maheśvaro 'paśyat sagaṇo hṛṣitānanaḥ

Translation

शक्ते स्वं च सुतं पश्य भ्रातृभिः सह षण्मुखम्। यथा महेश्वरोऽपश्यत् सगणो हृषिताननः॥

Word by Word

• śakte: O Śakti (Divine Power)

• svam: one’s own

• ca: and

• sutam: son

• paśya: behold/see

• bhrātṛbhiḥ: with brothers

• saha: together with

• ṣaṇmukham: the Six-Faced One (Skanda/Kārttikeya)

• yathā: just as

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (Śiva)

• apaśyat: saw/beheld

• sa-gaṇaḥ: along with (his) gaṇas/attendants

• hṛṣita-ānanaḥ: with a delighted/joyful face

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the episode within the Purva-Bhaga narrative)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Shakti (Parvati)
• Skanda (Shanmukha)
• Ganas

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It emphasizes darśana (sacred beholding) as grace: just as Śiva joyfully beholds the divine son amid his gaṇas, the devotee (paśu) is encouraged to behold the Lord and his manifestations with reverence—an inner orientation central to Linga-centered bhakti and pūjā.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva appears as Pati—sovereign and compassionate—whose bliss (ānanda) naturally shines forth. His joyful face and presence with the gaṇas indicate lordship over cosmic hosts and a non-dual fullness where divine manifestations arise without diminishing his transcendence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key practice is darśana-bhāva: contemplative seeing and remembrance. In a Pāśupata-leaning reading, it supports meditative fixation on the Lord (Pati) and his śakti, cultivating purity of perception that loosens pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul).