Shloka 37
Viśvānara-Gṛhapati Upākhyāna — Śivasya Agni-gṛhe Avatāraḥ
The Account of Viśvānara Gṛhapati and Śiva’s Descent into the House of Fire
तावद्विलोकयाञ्चक्रे मध्ये लिंगन्तपोधनः । विभूतिभूषणम्बालमष्टवर्षाकृतिं शिशुम्
tāvadvilokayāñcakre madhye liṃgantapodhanaḥ | vibhūtibhūṣaṇambālamaṣṭavarṣākṛtiṃ śiśum
Bấy giờ, vị khổ hạnh chuyên chú nơi Liṅga nhìn vào và thấy ngay giữa đó một đứa trẻ—một bé trai ngây thơ, dáng vẻ chừng tám tuổi—lấy vibhūti (tro thiêng) làm đồ trang sức.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: The Lord’s epiphany as a vibhūti-adorned child in the liṅga’s midst functions as a liṅga-māhātmya motif: Śiva becomes directly visible to the devotee after prolonged worship.
Significance: Darśana of Śiva’s manifested form (even as a child) is presented as the fruit of sustained liṅga-upāsanā and purity; vibhūti signifies Śiva’s protective, purifying presence.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It portrays Shiva’s grace taking a tangible, saguna form for a devoted ascetic: the Lord becomes approachable as a child marked by vibhuti, signifying purity, detachment, and the burning away of impurities through devotion centered on the Liṅga.
The ascetic is described as Liṅga-focused, and the vision occurs “in the midst” of that sacred center—showing that Liṅga-upāsanā can culminate in direct experience of Saguna Shiva, who reveals himself in a compassionate, perceivable form.
Vibhuti-dhāraṇa (wearing sacred ash, traditionally as Tripuṇḍra) along with steady Liṅga-dhyāna is implied—cultivating vairāgya (dispassion) and remembrance of Shiva as the inner Lord who grants darśana.