Shloka 29
गोत्र-प्रवर-प्रश्नः तथा तिथ्यादि-कीर्तनं
Gotra–Pravara Inquiry and Proclamation of Auspicious Time
सृष्टौ प्रथमजत्वाद्धि लीलासगुणरूपिणः । शिवान्नादस्य शैलेन्द्र सर्वोत्कृष्टस्ततस्स हि
sṛṣṭau prathamajatvāddhi līlāsaguṇarūpiṇaḥ | śivānnādasya śailendra sarvotkṛṣṭastatassa hi
โอ้เจ้าแห่งขุนเขา เพราะนาทะนี้บังเกิดขึ้นเป็นสิ่งแรกในสรรพการสร้าง จึงถูกประกาศว่าเป็นยอดยิ่งที่สุด—นาทะแห่งศิวะ อันเป็นการปรากฏแห่งรูปสคุณะโดยลีลา
Parvati
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Sthala Purana: The verse is cosmological rather than local: nāda is described as ‘first-arisen’ in sṛṣṭi, implying sound as the earliest manifest articulation of Śiva’s saguṇa līlā.
Significance: Encourages devotees to treat mantra-sound as the foremost ‘tīrtha’—the earliest bridge from unmanifest to manifest—thus prioritizing śravaṇa/japa as primary sādhana.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: sṛṣṭi-ārambha (cosmic beginning)
FAQs
The verse exalts Shiva’s nāda (primordial sacred sound) as the earliest arising principle in creation and as a saguṇa (accessible, grace-giving) expression of Shiva’s līlā—thereby presenting sound/mantra as a direct doorway to Śiva’s presence and liberation.
Śiva’s saguṇa worship is approached through tangible supports (ālambana) like the Liṅga and audible supports like nāda/mantra. This verse highlights nāda as Shiva’s manifest, worship-worthy expression—complementing Liṅga-upāsanā as another concrete means to relate to the transcendent (nirguṇa) Shiva through a gracious form.
Mantra-japa and nāda-anusandhāna (meditation on sacred sound)—especially steady repetition of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a daily sādhana, ideally supported by purity disciplines like vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa when appropriate.