Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 44
प्रयागे महत्समाजः — शिवदर्शनं दक्षागमनं च
The Great Assembly at Prayāga: Śiva’s Appearance and Dakṣa’s Arrival
वेदो मंत्राक्षरमयस्साक्षात्सूक्तमयो भृशम् । सूक्ते प्रतिष्ठितो ह्यात्मा सर्वेषामपि देहिनाम्
vedo maṃtrākṣaramayassākṣātsūktamayo bhṛśam | sūkte pratiṣṭhito hyātmā sarveṣāmapi dehinām
Ang Veda, sa katotohanan, ay binubuo ng mga pantig ng mantra at saganang hinubog ng mga sūkta, ang mga banal na himno. Sa mga himnong iyon ay itinatag ang mismong Sarili (Ātman), sapagkat doon nananahan at nahahayag ang Sarili ng lahat ng may katawan.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: The verse grounds the narrative in revelation-theology: Veda as mantra and sūkta, wherein Ātman is ‘established’. In Śaiva reading, the Veda’s inner purport culminates in Śiva as the indwelling Self and the giver of liberating knowledge.
Significance: Encourages śravaṇa/manana of Vedic-Rudra hymns and Śaiva scriptures as a means to purify mala and receive jñāna-anugraha.
Type: rudram
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that Vedic revelation is not merely ritual speech: the mantra and sūkta are a direct locus where the Ātman is recognized. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, scriptural sound (mantra) becomes a means for the soul to turn toward Pati (Shiva) and move toward liberation.
Linga-worship in the Shiva Purana is supported by mantra and Vedic hymnody: the verse grounds Saguna devotion in Śabda (sacred sound). The hymns and mantras used in Linga-pūjā are presented as vehicles through which the indwelling Self and Shiva’s presence are contemplated and invoked.
Mantra-japa and sūkta-pāṭha (recitation of Vedic hymns) with contemplative absorption on their meaning—treating the mantra as a direct support for inner realization of the Self and devotion to Shiva.