Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 24
Śivapūjā-stuti: Deva-Ṛṣi-Paramparāyāṃ Śaṃkara-caritasya Prastāvaḥ
Prelude to Śaṃkara’s narrative and the lineage of Śiva-worship
ध्रुवश्च ऋषभश्चैव भरतो नव योगिनः । तद्भ्रातरः परे चापि शिवपूजनकारकाः
dhruvaśca ṛṣabhaścaiva bharato nava yoginaḥ | tadbhrātaraḥ pare cāpi śivapūjanakārakāḥ
Dhruva, Rishabha và Bharata—cùng với chín vị Yogin—và các người anh em khác của họ nữa, tất cả đều trở thành những bậc tận tâm thực hành việc thờ phụng Đức Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a site-legend; it is a roll-call of exemplary devotees (Dhruva, Ṛṣabha, Bharata, the nine Yogins) to establish a tradition of Śiva-upāsanā across ascetic and royal archetypes.
Significance: Positions Śiva as the inner guru of yogins and the iṣṭa of kings alike; encourages integrating yoga (antar-yāga) with pūjā (bahir-yāga).
Role: teaching
FAQs
It affirms that both royal exemplars (Dhruva, Rishabha, Bharata) and perfected contemplatives (the nine Yogins) converge in the same Shaiva Siddhanta ideal: devotion expressed as Shiva-puja, which purifies bonds (pāśa) and turns the soul (paśu) toward Shiva (Pati).
By praising them as 'performers of Shiva worship,' the verse points to Saguna upāsanā—most characteristically Linga-puja in the Shiva Purana—where form-based worship matures the devotee’s inner discipline and prepares insight into Shiva’s transcendent nature.
The takeaway is steady Shiva-puja supported by yogic discipline—daily worship with mantra-japa (especially the Panchakshara, "Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), along with customary Shaiva observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrāksha where practiced.