Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 29
गाणपत्यदानकथा
Bāṇāsura Receives Gaṇapatya; Genealogical Prelude
ववल्गुः प्रथमास्सर्वे ऋषयो जुहुवुस्तथा । आययुः सिद्धसंघाश्च दृदृशुश्शांकरी रतिम्
vavalguḥ prathamāssarve ṛṣayo juhuvustathā | āyayuḥ siddhasaṃghāśca dṛdṛśuśśāṃkarī ratim
起初，诸位仙人皆欢然起舞，并同样向圣火中投献供物。随后，众多悉地者成群而至，得见商羯罗与其圣力（Śakti）之间神圣的爱之戏游。
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umapati
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga legend; the verse highlights Śaṅkara’s ‘rati’ with Śakti witnessed by siddhas—an archetype for cosmic fecundity and auspiciousness (śiva-śakti saṃyoga) rather than a site-specific liṅga manifestation.
Significance: Frames the devotee’s vision of divine couplehood as auspicious (maṅgala) and world-sustaining; in Siddhānta, it points to Śiva’s power (Śakti) as inseparable in the unfolding of the cosmos.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: creative
FAQs
It portrays how realized beings respond to Śiva’s presence: the ṛṣis celebrate through sacred action (yajña) and joy, while Siddhas witness the divine līlā—teaching that devotion, ritual purity, and contemplative vision together mature into grace-centered realization of Pati (Śiva).
The verse emphasizes Saguna Śiva—Śaṅkara with Śakti—whose līlā can be revered through visible forms and rites. Such worship (often centered on the Liṅga) channels the devotee from outer offering to inner vision, where the Lord is ‘beheld’ through purified consciousness.
Yajña-like offering is highlighted: perform mantra-japa with an attitude of oblation (āhuti) into the inner fire, and then contemplate Śiva-Śakti unity. In practice, this aligns well with Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) alongside disciplined worship (upacāra) and steady dhyāna.