Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 65
शिवपुत्रजननवर्णनम् — Description of the Birth/Manifestation of Śiva’s Son
असहञ्शिवरेतस्तद्धिमाद्रिः कंपमुद्वहन् । गंगायां प्राक्षिपत्तूर्णमसह्यं दाहपीडितः
asahañśivaretastaddhimādriḥ kaṃpamudvahan | gaṃgāyāṃ prākṣipattūrṇamasahyaṃ dāhapīḍitaḥ
เมื่อทนเรตัสอันทรงฤทธิ์ของพระศิวะไม่ไหว หิมาลัยสั่นสะท้านด้วยความแสบร้อน จึงรีบโยนลงสู่แม่น้ำคงคาโดยพลัน
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: Himalayan Śiva-sthala where Śiva is intimately tied to Himālaya; while this verse is not a Kedāra-specific māhātmya, it resonates with the broader Himalayan Śaiva imagination: the mountain as Śiva’s body/support and Gaṅgā as the purifier that receives overwhelming divine tejas.
Significance: Pilgrimage to Himalayan Śiva sites is traditionally held to cool inner ‘dāha’ (tāpa) through darśana and snāna; Gaṅgā-contact signifies purification and capacity to bear divine power.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It shows that Śiva’s śakti is limitless and cannot be contained by ordinary supports; only a divinely empowered channel like Gaṅgā can receive and transmit that power without destroying the bearer—pointing to the need for grace (anugraha) and proper receptivity in spiritual life.
The verse emphasizes Śiva’s tangible, manifest potency (saguṇa expression) that must be approached through ordained supports and sacred mediums—mirroring how devotees approach the infinite Lord through the Liṅga and regulated worship rather than attempting to grasp the Absolute directly.
A practical takeaway is reverent worship of Gaṅgā and Śiva together—reciting the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with purity and restraint—recognizing that spiritual power should be received through disciplined sādhana, not forced or mishandled.