Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 37
भद्रस्य दिव्यरथारोहणं शङ्खनादश्च — Bhadra’s Divine Chariot-Ascent and the Conch-Blast
श्वसन्निवैकमुद्धृत्य बाहुं चक्रसमन्वितम् । अतिष्ठदलसो भूत्वा पाषाण इव निश्चलः
śvasannivaikamuddhṛtya bāhuṃ cakrasamanvitam | atiṣṭhadalaso bhūtvā pāṣāṇa iva niścalaḥ
พระองค์ทรงหอบราวกับอึดอัด ยกพระกรข้างหนึ่งที่มีจักรประจำอยู่ แล้วก็ยืนซบเซาเฉื่อยชา นิ่งดุจก้อนศิลา
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; it is a narrative illustration of how even a great deva becomes inert when Śiva withholds enabling power.
Significance: Contemplative benefit: recognition that all capacities (kriyā-śakti) are loaned by the Lord; humility is itself a preparatory purification for grace.
FAQs
The verse portrays a sudden loss of agency—one who appeared powerful becomes inert like a stone—hinting that mere divine weaponry or ego-driven force cannot prevail before the higher Shaiva principle of Pati (Shiva), in whose presence the limited will of the pashu becomes stilled.
In Shaiva Siddhanta, Saguna Shiva is worshiped as the gracious Lord who subdues pride and grants clarity. This image of immobilization supports the Purana’s theme that surrender to Shiva (often symbolized by Linga-worship) is superior to reliance on external power and identifies Shiva as the inner controller beyond all instruments.
A practical takeaway is cultivating niścala-bhāva (steadiness) through japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and silent meditation, letting agitation (śvasan) settle into stillness, supported by Shaiva disciplines such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrāksha as aids to remembrance.