Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 5
श्रद्धामाहात्म्यं तथा देवीप्रश्नः
The Greatness of Śraddhā and Devī’s Question to Śiva
साक्षात्सर्वजगत्कर्तुर्भर्तुरंकं समाश्रिता । भगवन्किन्नु पप्रच्छ भर्तारं परमेश्वरी । उपमन्युरुवाच । स्थाने पृष्टं त्वया कृष्ण तद्वक्ष्यामि यथातथम् । भवभक्तस्य युक्तस्य तव कल्याणचेतसः
sākṣātsarvajagatkarturbharturaṃkaṃ samāśritā | bhagavankinnu papraccha bhartāraṃ parameśvarī | upamanyuruvāca | sthāne pṛṣṭaṃ tvayā kṛṣṇa tadvakṣyāmi yathātatham | bhavabhaktasya yuktasya tava kalyāṇacetasaḥ
Nương tựa ngay trên lòng của phu quân mình—Đấng trực tiếp tạo dựng và gìn giữ toàn thể vũ trụ—Parameśvarī (Pārvatī) hỏi chồng: “Bạch Đấng Thế Tôn, điều này là gì?” Upamanyu thưa: “Nàng hỏi thật đúng, hỡi Kṛṣṇā. Ta sẽ nói rõ đúng như sự thật, vì nàng là người sùng kính Bhava (Śiva), tinh cần trong yoga và hướng tâm về điều cát tường.”
Upamanyu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It presents Śiva as Pati—the direct source and sustainer of the cosmos—and shows that true instruction is given to a seeker who is both devoted (bhakti) and disciplined (yoga), with a mind oriented toward auspiciousness (kalyāṇa).
By depicting Pārvatī resting upon Śiva and questioning him, the verse emphasizes approachable Saguna Śiva—graceful, relational, and teachable—whose worship (including Linga-upāsanā) becomes fruitful when grounded in sincere devotion to Bhava.
The implied practice is to approach Śiva with bhakti and inner steadiness—regular japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and a yogic, disciplined mind—so that inquiry and listening to Śiva-tattva lead to auspicious transformation.