Shiva Purana — Satarudra Samhita, Shloka 15
नन्दिकेशावतारवर्णनम् (Nandikeśa Avatāra Varṇanam) — “Account of the Descent/Origin of Nandikeśvara”
अहं च विष्णुर्भगवान्द्रुहिणश्च महामुने । अयोनिजं मृत्युहीनं पुत्रं दातुं न शक्नुमः
ahaṃ ca viṣṇurbhagavāndruhiṇaśca mahāmune | ayonijaṃ mṛtyuhīnaṃ putraṃ dātuṃ na śaknumaḥ
噢大牟尼，我亦不能，吉祥的毗湿奴亦不能，德鲁希那（梵天）亦不能，赐予那不由胎生、超越死亡之子。此等恩赐超出我等权能；唯有至上主湿婆——超越生与坏的主宰（Pati）——方能施与那超越造作之性者。
Brahma (Druhiṇa)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadashiva
FAQs
The verse establishes a Shaiva Siddhānta hierarchy: created deities operate within māyā and karma, while Śiva as Pati alone transcends birth and death. Therefore, truly “deathless” grace is not a product of creation but a gift of the Supreme.
The Liṅga signifies Śiva’s reality beyond form and limitation; worship of Saguna Śiva through the Liṅga leads the devotee toward the deathless, unborn principle (Nirguna) that Brahmā and Viṣṇu cannot manufacture as a worldly boon.
A practical takeaway is steadfast Śiva-upāsanā—especially japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotion—seeking Śiva’s grace for liberation rather than demanding impossible worldly boons.