Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 2
कैलासमार्गे शङ्करस्य परीक्षा — Śiva Tests the Approachers on the Kailāsa Path
तत्त्वं वद महाप्राज्ञ चरितं शशिमौलिनः । विस्तारपूर्वकं शृण्वन्कस्तृप्येत्तद्यशोऽमलम्
tattvaṃ vada mahāprājña caritaṃ śaśimaulinaḥ | vistārapūrvakaṃ śṛṇvankastṛpyettadyaśo'malam
โอผู้ทรงปัญญายิ่ง จงกล่าวความจริงแท้และพระจริยาวัตรอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ของพระศิวะผู้ทรงจันทร์เป็นมงกุฎโดยพิสดารเถิด ใครเล่าจะอิ่มเอมได้เมื่อได้สดับพระเกียรติอันบริสุทธิ์ไร้มลทินของพระองค์จนสิ้น?
The sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (addressing Sūta Gosvāmī)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha
Significance: Śravaṇa (attentive hearing) of Śiva-carita is presented as inexhaustible; the devotee’s thirst (tṛṣṇā) for Śiva’s amala-yaśas is itself a mark of ripening bhakti and fitness for grace (anugraha).
Type: stotra
FAQs
It glorifies śravaṇa (devotional listening) to Śiva-kathā: Śiva’s pure fame is inexhaustible, and the longing to hear His tattva (true nature) and carita (divine deeds) is itself a mark of bhakti that leads the soul toward grace and liberation.
By praising Śiva’s ‘carita’ and ‘yaśas,’ the verse points to Saguna devotion—approaching Śiva through His manifest attributes and līlās. Such hearing naturally supports Linga-upāsanā, where the devotee contemplates the same Lord in a sacred, worshipable form while remembering His glory.
The implied practice is regular śravaṇa—listening to Shiva Purana recitation with focused mind—paired with japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) as a contemplative support while absorbing Śiva’s tattva and deeds.