Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 25
कार्त्तिकेयान्वेषण-नन्दिसंवाद-वर्णनम्
Search for Kārttikeya and the Nandī Dialogue
गंगोवाच । वीर्यं सोढुमशक्ताहं तव शंकर लोकप । व्याकुलाऽति प्रभो नाथ न्यक्षिपं शरकानने
gaṃgovāca | vīryaṃ soḍhumaśaktāhaṃ tava śaṃkara lokapa | vyākulā'ti prabho nātha nyakṣipaṃ śarakānane
คงคา กล่าวว่า “โอ้ ศังกร เจ้าแห่งโลก ข้าพเจ้าไม่อาจทนรับวีรยะ‑เตชัสของพระองค์ได้ ด้วยความร้อนรนยิ่ง โอ้ พระผู้เป็นเจ้าและนาถ ข้าพเจ้าจึงน้อมทิ้งมันลงในป่าอ้อกก (ศรการานนะ)”
Ganga
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Gaṅgā, overwhelmed by Śiva’s tejas, casts it into the Śara (reed) forest—an etiological marker for Skanda/Kārttikeya’s eventual manifestation in a liminal watery-reedy landscape.
Significance: Reinforces Gaṅgā’s salvific role: she can carry Śiva’s power for the world’s good, yet even she requires release into a prepared locus—suggesting ritual ‘kṣetra’ and ‘pātra’ are essential.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva’s immeasurable tejas (divine potency) and the cosmic need for a proper vessel to contain it—pointing to Śiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) whose power must be approached with reverence, purity, and right receptivity.
In Śaiva tradition, the Liṅga signifies the controlled, auspicious presence of Śiva’s infinite power in a form accessible to devotees. Gaṅgā’s inability to bear the raw potency underscores why Saguna upāsanā (worship with form) and sacred symbols channel divine energy safely for devotion and grace.
A practical takeaway is disciplined reverence toward Śiva’s śakti through mantra-japa (especially Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and purity observances; the verse implicitly teaches containment and steadiness rather than forcing intense energies without preparation.