Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 10
शिवतत्त्ववर्णनम् (Śiva-tattva-varṇana) — “Description/Exposition of the Principle of Śiva”
एतत्सर्वं महाराज कृपां कृत्वाऽवयोः प्रभो । कथनीयं तथान्यच्च विज्ञाय स्वानुगौ शिव
etatsarvaṃ mahārāja kṛpāṃ kṛtvā'vayoḥ prabho | kathanīyaṃ tathānyacca vijñāya svānugau śiva
ข้าแต่มหาราชา ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า โปรดทรงเมตตาต่อเราทั้งสองแล้วตรัสบอกสิ่งทั้งปวงนี้เถิด; และข้าแต่พระศิวะ เมื่อทรงทราบว่าเราทั้งสองเป็นผู้ภักดีติดตามพระองค์ ก็โปรดตรัสสิ่งอื่นใดที่ควรตรัสด้วยเถิด।
Brahmā (in dialogue, addressing Śiva as the supreme Lord while narratively framed by Sūta to the sages)
Tattva Level: pati
Sthala Purana: Not a shrine legend; it is a supplicatory request for further upadeśa, explicitly invoking Śiva’s grace (kṛpā) toward devotees.
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Didactic pause within cosmogonic dialogue: the bound/limited knower (Brahmā) seeks fuller revelation from Pati.
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva’s anugraha (grace) as the doorway to right knowledge: the devotee petitions humbly, and instruction arises not merely from intellect but from the Lord’s compassion—key to Shaiva Siddhanta’s path of liberation.
By addressing Śiva as a compassionate, responsive Lord, it supports Saguna devotion—approaching Śiva as teacher and refuge. Such bhakti undergirds Linga-worship, where the devotee seeks guidance and purification through the Lord’s presence and grace.
The implied practice is humble śaraṇāgati (surrender) and inquiry before Śiva—often expressed through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and attentive listening (śravaṇa) to Śiva’s teachings as a form of devotion.