Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 66
शिवपुत्रजननवर्णनम् — Description of the Birth/Manifestation of Śiva’s Son
गंगयाऽपि च तद्वीर्यं दुस्सहं परमात्मनः । निःक्षिप्तं हि शरस्तंबे तरंगैः स्वैर्मुनीश्वर
gaṃgayā'pi ca tadvīryaṃ dussahaṃ paramātmanaḥ | niḥkṣiptaṃ hi śarastaṃbe taraṃgaiḥ svairmunīśvara
اے مُنیِشور! پرماتما کا وہ وِیرْی گنگا کے لیے بھی ناقابلِ برداشت تھا؛ اس لیے اس نے اپنی موجوں سے اسے سرکنڈوں کے جھنڈ میں ڈال دیا۔
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: The verse belongs to the Skanda/Kumāra birth-cycle: Śiva’s tejas/retas is too intense even for Gaṅgā to bear, so it is deposited in reeds, preparing the embodied advent of the divine son for the world’s welfare.
Significance: Contemplation of Śiva’s ananta-tejas and its safe mediation through śakti (Gaṅgā) cultivates reverence and surrender; it frames divine power as grace when properly ‘contained’ for beings.
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: creative
FAQs
It highlights the transcendence of Śiva as Paramātman: even the purifying Gaṅgā cannot “contain” His divine potency, pointing to the immeasurable nature of Shiva-Śakti and the need for reverent humility in approaching the Supreme.
The verse portrays Shiva’s power as tangible yet overwhelming—Saguna worship (like Linga-pūjā) gives devotees a sanctified, approachable focus to relate to the same boundless Supreme who otherwise exceeds ordinary capacity.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Śiva as Paramātman while chanting the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivating purity and steadiness—like Gaṅgā’s purifying flow—so the mind can reverently receive divine śakti.