Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 53
त्रिपुरवर्णनम् (Tripura-varṇanam) — “Description of Tripura”
वंद्यः पूज्योभिवाद्यश्च सोस्माकं निर्दहेत्कथम् । इति चेतसि संधाय तादृशो भुवि दुर्लभः
vaṃdyaḥ pūjyobhivādyaśca sosmākaṃ nirdahetkatham | iti cetasi saṃdhāya tādṛśo bhuvi durlabhaḥ
“พระองค์ทรงควรแก่การนอบน้อม บูชา และถวายคำนับ—แล้วจะทรงเผาผลาญเราได้อย่างไร?” เมื่อยึดไว้ในใจเช่นนั้น พวกเขาจึงรำพึงว่า ผู้เช่นนี้หาได้ยากยิ่งในโลก
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; it articulates Śiva’s universal worship-worthiness (vandya/pūjya/abhivādya) even in a martial context.
Significance: Cultivates bhāva that Śiva is always worthy of worship; this inner reorientation is treated in Siddhānta as a prerequisite for anugraha (grace) that burns pāśa rather than the paśu.
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights dharmic discernment: one who is truly venerable and worship-worthy is not approached with suspicion or hostility, and the mind is trained to recognize rare spiritual nobility (sat-puruṣa-lakṣaṇa) rather than project fear.
The verse emphasizes the inner posture behind worship—vandana, pūjā, and abhivādana. In Śaiva practice, this same reverent orientation is directed to Saguna Śiva in the Liṅga, cultivating trust and surrender rather than adversarial doubt.
A practical takeaway is daily abhivādana and vandana to Śiva—salutation with the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—training the mind (cetasi) to rest in reverence, which purifies reactive fear and suspicion.