शिवपुराण-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Śiva Purāṇa) / Śivapurāṇa Māhātmya
अन्यापि संहिता तत्र सर्वकामफलप्रदा । उभे विशिष्टे विज्ञेये लीलाविज्ञानपूरिते
anyāpi saṃhitā tatra sarvakāmaphalapradā | ubhe viśiṣṭe vijñeye līlāvijñānapūrite
ที่นั่นยังมีสังหิตาอีกบทหนึ่ง ซึ่งประทานผลแห่งความปรารถนาอันควรทั้งปวง จงรู้ว่าทั้งสองล้วนวิเศษยิ่ง เต็มเปี่ยมด้วยลีลาและวิชญาณอันแท้จริง।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a sthala narrative; it is a textual map: multiple Saṃhitās are praised as simultaneously līlā-filled (accessible devotion) and vijñāna-filled (liberating knowledge).
Significance: Positions the Śiva Purāṇa’s sections as both bhukti-prada (legitimate worldly fruits) and mukti-prada (vijñāna), encouraging study as a pilgrimage of hearing (śravaṇa) and reflection (manana).
It affirms that the Shiva Purana’s sections are not merely narrative; they are vessels of Śiva’s līlā and liberating vijñāna, capable of granting both worldly fulfillment and the higher aim of spiritual awakening.
By praising the Saṃhitās as ‘fruit-giving’ and ‘knowledge-filled,’ it supports the Purāṇic approach where devotion to Saguna Śiva—often centered on the Liṅga—matures into deeper understanding (vijñāna) of Śiva’s supreme reality.
A key takeaway is śravaṇa and adhyayana (listening to and studying the Saṃhitā) as a sādhana, ideally accompanied by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to unite devotion (līlā-bhakti) with insight (vijñāna).