Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 7
Gautama–Ahalyā-Upākhyāna: Durbhikṣa, Tapas, and Varuṇa’s Boon (गौतमाहल्योपाख्यानम्)
तां दृष्ट्वा चर्षयो विप्राः प्राणायामपरायणाः । ध्यानेन च तदा केचित्कालं निन्युस्सुदारुणम्
tāṃ dṛṣṭvā carṣayo viprāḥ prāṇāyāmaparāyaṇāḥ | dhyānena ca tadā kecitkālaṃ ninyussudāruṇam
Thấy sự hiển lộ uy nghi ấy, các bậc hiền triết Bà-la-môn, chuyên tâm vào kỷ luật prāṇāyāma, và một số khác an trú trong thiền định sâu, đã vượt qua quãng thời gian vô cùng khủng khiếp ấy bằng sự nhập định yoga bền vững—giữ tâm mình trong Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Cosmic Event: A ‘sudāruṇa’ (exceedingly dreadful) interval is endured through yoga—suggesting a period of divine concealment/pressure rather than explicit pralaya.
FAQs
It shows the Shaiva ideal that when outer conditions become frightening, the wise take refuge in inner discipline—prāṇāyāma and dhyāna—stabilizing the mind in Shiva (Pati) and thereby transcending fear.
The verse implies that encountering Shiva’s powerful presence (often linked in Kotirudra contexts to sacred manifestations like Jyotirlingas) should be met with disciplined contemplation—worship is not only external ritual but also inward absorption in Saguna Shiva’s form and greatness.
The direct practice is prāṇāyāma supported by dhyāna—regulated breath, withdrawal from agitation, and sustained meditation on Shiva (commonly paired in Shaiva practice with japa of the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” though not explicitly stated in this verse).