Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 3
दधीच-शाप-हेतु-वर्णनम् / The Cause of Dadhīca’s Curse
Explaining Viṣṇu’s Role at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
जानाति किं स शंभुं नो हरिः प्रलयविक्रमम् । रणं कथं च कृतवान् तद्गणैरबुधो यथा
jānāti kiṃ sa śaṃbhuṃ no hariḥ pralayavikramam | raṇaṃ kathaṃ ca kṛtavān tadgaṇairabudho yathā
诃利（毗湿奴）怎能识得商布——其威力如同终结宇宙的劫灭之力？又怎会如无知之人一般，与湿婆的众伽那交战？
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Satī-khaṇḍa account to the sages, conveying the purāṇic viewpoint that Śiva is the supreme Pati)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga reference; it asserts Śiva’s pralaya-like supremacy and critiques Viṣṇu’s opposition to Śiva’s gaṇas in the Dakṣa-yajña conflict.
Significance: Reinforces Śiva as Parameśvara (Pati) beyond even the devas; cultivates śaraṇāgati and humility before Śiva’s cosmic power.
Cosmic Event: Pralaya is invoked as the comparison-point for Śiva’s vikrama (world-ending potency).
FAQs
The verse asserts Śiva (Śambhu) as the supreme Lord whose cosmic function includes pralaya; it cautions that even exalted deities cannot fully measure the Pati’s transcendent power, urging humility and surrender (śaraṇāgati) to Śiva.
By emphasizing Śiva’s immeasurable might, the verse supports Saguna upāsanā—devotion to Śiva as the manifest Lord (often worshiped as the Liṅga) who governs creation, preservation, and dissolution, while also pointing beyond form to His unfathomable greatness.
A practical takeaway is humble japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a mindset of reverence, avoiding egoistic comparison; optionally paired with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as Shaiva markers of surrender to Śiva.