How We Cite
A site about Śiva should be as truthful as it is beautiful. These are the rules every page follows.
Three layers, never blended
Original text
The verse exactly as the source gives it, in Devanāgarī with transliteration. Never edited.
Translation
Always credited — to a public-domain translator, or marked as our own.
Explanation
Our commentary, clearly labelled as ours. Commentary, not scripture.
A citation you can check
“From the Śiva Purāṇa” is not enough. Every reference names the text, the section (saṃhitā, parva, kāṇḍa), the chapter (adhyāya, sarga), the verse, and — because numbering differs between printed editions — the edition it follows.
Honest about certainty
Many famous verses are credited to the wrong text. The Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra, for example, is often linked to the Śiva Purāṇa, but its source is the Ṛgveda (7.59.12). When a verse is only traditionally attributed, we say so.
Many traditions, many tellings
Śiva is worshipped through the Vedas and Purāṇas, Śaiva Siddhānta, Kashmir Śaivism, the Tamil Nāyaṉmārs, the Vīraśaiva saints and countless local traditions. When their accounts differ, we place them side by side.
Two languages, one original
You can read the whole site in English or Hindi. Translations, explanations and stories change with the language — but the Sanskrit original is the same in both.