Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 55
देव-गण-समरः
Devas and Śiva’s Gaṇas Engage in Battle
रेरे हरे दुराचार महेश विमुखाधम । श्रीमहारुद्रमाहात्म्यं किन्न जानासि पावनम्
rere hare durācāra maheśa vimukhādhama | śrīmahārudramāhātmyaṃ kinna jānāsi pāvanam
喂，心怀邪恶的哈利（Harī）！噫，那背离大自在天摩诃伊湿伐罗（Maheśa）的卑劣之人——你竟不知神圣大鲁陀罗（Mahārudra）那能净化众生的伟大威德与光荣吗？
An enraged Shaiva speaker in the Sati Khanda narrative (a devotee aligned with Sati/Shiva’s party) addressing Lord Vishnu (Hari)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: A polemical proclamation within the Dakṣa-yajña conflict: ‘Mahārudra-māhātmya’ is invoked as purifying knowledge; ignorance of Rudra’s greatness is framed as spiritual blindness.
Significance: Encourages śravaṇa/kīrtana of Rudra’s māhātmya as a purifier—functionally akin to tīrtha-phala through sacred narrative.
Type: rudram
Role: teaching
FAQs
It asserts that remembrance and acknowledgment of Mahārudra (Shiva) is intrinsically purifying, and it condemns “turning away from Maheśa” as spiritual downfall—reinforcing Shaiva Siddhānta’s emphasis on Shiva as Pati (the liberating Lord).
By praising the “Mahārudra māhātmya,” the verse points to devotion toward Shiva’s manifest, worship-worthy presence (Saguna)—the same devotional orientation that culminates in Linga-upāsanā as a sanctifying practice.
The implied practice is śravaṇa and smaraṇa—hearing and recalling Shiva’s māhātmya—with a bhakti attitude; this is commonly paired in Shaiva practice with japa of Shiva’s names (including the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) as a purifier of mind and conduct.