Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 1
शिवानुकम्पा, ब्रह्मणो निर्भयत्वं च (Śiva’s Compassion and Brahmā’s Fearlessness)
नारद उवाच । ब्रह्मन् विधे महाभाग शिवभक्तवर प्रभो । श्रावितं चरितं शंभोरद्भुतं मंगलायनम्
nārada uvāca | brahman vidhe mahābhāga śivabhaktavara prabho | śrāvitaṃ caritaṃ śaṃbhoradbhutaṃ maṃgalāyanam
Nārada thưa: “Ôi Phạm Thiên, ôi Đấng Tạo Hóa (Vidhe), bậc đại phúc, vị chủ tể—người tối thượng trong hàng tín đồ của Śiva—Ngài đã khiến con được nghe hành trạng kỳ diệu, cát tường của Śambhu (Chúa Śiva).”
Narada
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights śravaṇa (devout listening) as a direct means of receiving maṅgala (auspicious spiritual merit): hearing Śiva’s wondrous deeds purifies the mind and strengthens bhakti toward Pati (Śiva), leading the soul toward liberation.
By praising Śambhu’s “carita” as auspicious, the verse supports Saguna-upāsanā—approaching Śiva through His narrated deeds and compassionate acts, which naturally culminates in reverence for His manifest presence, including Liṅga worship, as a stable focus for devotion.
Regular śravaṇa and kīrtana of Śiva Purāṇa narratives—ideally alongside japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—is the implied practice, as hearing Śiva-kathā is explicitly treated as maṅgalāyana (a source of auspiciousness).