Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 58
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
दृष्ट्वा नत्वा महाभक्त्या स्तुत्वाहं तु प्रहर्षितः । अवोचं देवदेवेशं सृज त्वं विविधाः प्रजाः
dṛṣṭvā natvā mahābhaktyā stutvāhaṃ tu praharṣitaḥ | avocaṃ devadeveśaṃ sṛja tvaṃ vividhāḥ prajāḥ
Được thấy Ngài, tôi cúi đầu đảnh lễ với lòng đại tín, ca tụng Ngài và hoan hỷ tràn đầy. Rồi tôi thưa với Đấng Chúa của chư thiên: “Xin Ngài hãy tạo dựng muôn loài chúng sinh sai khác.”
Brahma (addressing Lord Shiva)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: This is a cosmogonic petition: Brahmā, after darśana and stuti, requests Śiva to create diverse beings. It is not a localized sthala narrative.
Significance: Models the pilgrim-devotee’s sequence: darśana → namaskāra → stuti → petition; emphasizes that even creation proceeds by Śiva’s sanction, encouraging surrender (śaraṇāgati).
Mantra: sṛja tvaṃ vividhāḥ prajāḥ
Type: stotra
Role: creative
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: commissioning of creation (sṛṣṭi) after theophany
FAQs
The verse places bhakti, surrender, and praise before cosmic activity: Brahma first beholds and worships Shiva (Pati), then seeks His sanction for creation, showing that all sṛṣṭi proceeds under Shiva’s lordship and grace.
Brahma addresses Shiva as Devadeveśa in a personal, worshipful mode—an explicitly saguna orientation—illustrating that devotion to Shiva’s manifest lordly form is a valid gateway to understanding His supreme governance over creation.
The practical takeaway is a threefold sādhana: darśana (contemplative beholding), namaskāra (prostration), and stuti/japa (praise or mantra-recitation, such as the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) before beginning any significant undertaking.