Paramātma-Svarūpa-Nirṇaya: Strī–Puṃ–Napuṃsaka-Vicāra
Inquiry into the Supreme Self and Gendered Forms
निगृह्य माययाशेषपदार्थग्राहको भवेत् । तदा पुरुष इत्याख्या तत्सृष्ट्वेत्यभवच्छ्रुतिः
nigṛhya māyayāśeṣapadārthagrāhako bhavet | tadā puruṣa ityākhyā tatsṛṣṭvetyabhavacchrutiḥ
Khi bị Māyā chế ngự, một người trở thành kẻ nắm bắt và kinh nghiệm mọi đối tượng trong cõi hiển lộ, thì người ấy được gọi là “Puruṣa”. Vì thế mới có lời kinh: “sau khi tạo ra điều ấy (thế giới/sự hiển hiện)…”.
Suta Goswami (continuing the Kailāsa-saṃhitā narration to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Mantra: “tatsṛṣṭvā …” (śruti-allusion)
Role: creative
It explains bondage in Shaiva terms: under Māyā the self functions as a “grāhaka” (object-experiencer) and is therefore spoken of as Puruṣa within creation—implying that liberation is the transcendence of Māyā through Shiva’s grace.
Linga/Saguna worship gives the bound soul (Puruṣa under Māyā) a concrete support for devotion and concentration; through that devotion, Shiva reveals His supremacy as Pati beyond Māyā, loosening the soul’s identification with objects.
A practical takeaway is inward meditation with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), observing how the mind grasps “objects,” and offering that grasping into Shiva—supported by daily Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders of detachment and devotion.