Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 17
दक्षयज्ञे सत्या अपमानबोधः — Satī Encounters Disrespect at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
सत्युवाच । हे विष्णो त्वं महादेवं किं न जानासि तत्त्वतः । सगुणं निर्गुणं चापि श्रुतयो यं वदंति ह
satyuvāca | he viṣṇo tvaṃ mahādevaṃ kiṃ na jānāsi tattvataḥ | saguṇaṃ nirguṇaṃ cāpi śrutayo yaṃ vadaṃti ha
Sinabi ni Satī: “O Viṣṇu, hindi mo ba tunay na nalalaman si Mahādeva ayon sa Kanyang tunay na prinsipyo? Ipinahahayag ng mga Veda na Siya’y kapwa saguṇa (may mga katangian) at nirguṇa (lampas sa lahat ng katangian).”
Sati
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is a doctrinal assertion: Śiva is both saguṇa (manifest Lord) and nirguṇa (transcendent absolute), as affirmed by śruti.
Significance: Soteriological teaching: correct knowledge (jñāna) of Śiva’s transcendent-immanent nature is a prerequisite for release from pāśa (bondage).
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes Mahadeva as simultaneously transcendent (nirguṇa) and immanent (saguṇa), guiding devotees to honor Shiva’s manifest worship (form, linga, names) while aiming for realization of His ultimate, attribute-free reality.
By affirming “saguṇa,” the verse supports worship through accessible symbols like the Shiva Linga and divine forms; such devotion steadies the mind and, according to Shaiva teaching, matures into insight of Shiva’s nirguṇa nature beyond all limiting qualities.
A practical takeaway is to worship Shiva in saguna mode—japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and linga-pūjā—while meditating on Shiva as nirguṇa, the inner Self beyond name and form.