Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 26
शिवदूतस्य शङ्खचूडकुलप्रवेशः — The Śiva-Envoy’s Entry into Śaṅkhacūḍa’s City
हरेर्विधेश्च स स्वामी निर्गुणस्सगुणस्स हि । यस्य भ्रूभंगमात्रेण सर्वेषां प्रलयो भवेत्
harervidheśca sa svāmī nirguṇassaguṇassa hi | yasya bhrūbhaṃgamātreṇa sarveṣāṃ pralayo bhavet
พระองค์ทรงเป็นเจ้าเหนือหริ (วิษณุ) และวิธิ (พรหมา) ด้วย; ทรงเป็นทั้งนิรคุณ (เหนือคุณลักษณะ) และสคุณ (ปรากฏพร้อมคุณลักษณะ). เพียงขมวดพระขนงก็อาจบันดาลให้เกิดปรลัยแก่สรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวงได้।
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Shiva Purana account to the sages, presenting the supremacy of Śiva in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time: the jyotirliṅga signifies Śiva’s mastery over kāla and pralaya; the verse’s ‘bhrūbhaṅga-mātra’ motif aligns with time-dissolution imagery.
Significance: Meditation on Mahākāla dispels fear of death/time and reorients the soul (paśu) toward the transcendent Pati who alone governs pralaya.
Type: stotra
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: pralaya (cosmic dissolution)
FAQs
The verse establishes Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who transcends all qualities (nirguṇa) yet compassionately assumes forms and qualities (saguṇa) for the world. It teaches that creation, preservation, and dissolution ultimately rest in Śiva’s sovereignty, guiding the seeker to take refuge in Him for liberation.
Because Śiva is both nirguṇa and saguṇa, the Linga functions as a sacred bridge: it is a form suited for devotion and ritual while pointing to the formless Absolute. Worship of the Linga honors Śiva’s manifest presence without denying His transcendence beyond attributes.
Contemplate Śiva as both formless and manifest while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") during Linga-dhyāna. As a practical takeaway, maintain reverence (bhakti) and inner restraint, remembering that the Lord who dissolves the cosmos also dissolves bondage when meditated upon with steadiness.