Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 48
देवर्षि-प्रश्नः तथा असुर-वध-हेतुनिवेदनम् | The Devas’ Petition and the Cause for Slaying Asuras
पाद्मा कांताऽभवद्विष्णोस्तथा मम सरस्वती । तृतीयरूपा सा नाभूल्लोककार्यहितैषिणी
pādmā kāṃtā'bhavadviṣṇostathā mama sarasvatī | tṛtīyarūpā sā nābhūllokakāryahitaiṣiṇī
Padmā trở thành ái hậu của Viṣṇu, và cũng vậy, Sarasvatī trở thành của ta. Hóa thân thứ ba ấy chẳng hề ở không; nàng một lòng hướng đến lợi ích và công việc đã được an bài cho các cõi đời.
Brahmā (narrating within the Rudra Saṃhitā frame, ultimately conveyed by Sūta to the sages)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it frames cosmic administration by assigning Śrī (Padmā) to Viṣṇu and Sarasvatī to Brahmā, implying the remaining śakti-manifestation will undertake loka-kārya (world-function).
Role: creative
FAQs
It highlights that divine manifestations (Śakti-forms) are not merely symbolic spouses but active powers that sustain loka-kārya—worldly order and welfare—under the higher sovereignty of Pati (Śiva) in the Shaiva Siddhanta worldview.
By showing how cosmic functions are administered through divine forms, the verse supports Saguna devotion: worship of Śiva-liṅga honors the supreme Lord from whom order and divine agencies proceed, while acknowledging that all functional deities operate within His overarching reality.
A practical takeaway is to perform daily Śiva-pūjā with the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while mentally offering one’s actions as loka-kārya (service for the welfare of beings), aligning personal duty with dharma.