Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 43
बाणासुरस्य शङ्करस्तुतिः तथा युद्धयाचनम् | Bāṇāsura’s Praise of Śiva and Petition for Battle
ऊषा प्रोवाच चौरोऽसौ मया प्राप्तस्तु यो निशि । पुरुषः सखि येनाशु चेतोरत्नं हृतं मम
ūṣā provāca cauro'sau mayā prāptastu yo niśi | puruṣaḥ sakhi yenāśu cetoratnaṃ hṛtaṃ mama
اوشا نے کہا—اے سہیلی! جو مرد رات کو میرے پاس آیا تھا وہ یقیناً چور ہے؛ کیونکہ اس نے پل بھر میں میرے دل کا جواہر چرا لیا۔
Usha
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
Uṣā’s “heart-jewel” imagery shows how the subtlest inner treasure—one’s consciousness and longing—can be seized by love; in Shaiva understanding, such intense absorption can be refined into single-pointed devotion that ultimately seeks the Supreme (Pati) rather than remaining bound by mere passion (pāśa).
Though the verse is a romantic utterance within the narrative, it mirrors the bhakta’s experience with Saguna Shiva—where the Lord ‘steals the heart,’ drawing the mind away from distractions toward concentrated remembrance, as in Linga-upāsanā and nāma-smaraṇa.
The takeaway is inner recollection: steady the mind on one beloved form—practically done through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple dhyāna on the Śiva-liṅga, letting the heart’s attention be ‘taken’ from worldly scattering into devotion.