Sadashiva

Who is Sadashiva?

Sadashiva is the father of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu. In the Puranas, the name Sadashiva is mentioned, especially in Shiva Purana. In the Rudrasamhita chapter of Shiva Purana, all the knowledge has been given about how Lord Sadashiva created Goddess Durga and then gave rise to their sons Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Sadashiva is also addressed in some Puranas as Mahabrahma, Mahavishnu and Mahashiva. He is also called Brahm or Kaal. 

The images below are from Shiva Purana, Rudrasamhita which describe Sadashiva and his actions at the time of creation.

Shiv Purana Rudra Samhita Adhyay 6 

Shiv Purana - Rudra Samhita Chapter 6 | English

(Description of the nature of Mahapralaya and the origin of Vishnu)

Brahma said:-

1. O Brahmin, foremost among the celestial beings, a good matter has been enquired into by you rendering service to the worlds and desiring their benefit.

2. I shall explain to you the wholesome and salutary principles of Shiva on hearing which the various sins of the people are destroyed.

3. Neither the principles of Shiva nor His supreme wonderful forms have been understood by me or by Vishnu or by any one else.

4. At the time of Great Dissolution when all the mobile and immobile objects of the world are dissolved everything gets enveloped in darkness, without the sun, planets and stars.

5. There is no moon. The day and the night are not demarcated. There is no fire, no wind, no earth and no water. There is no unmanifest primordial being. The whole firmament is one complete void, devoid of all Tejas elements.

6. There is no Dharma or Adharma, no sound, no touch. Smell and colour are not manifest. There is no taste. The face of the quarters is not demarcated.

7. Thus when there is pitch darkness that cannot be pierced with a needle and what is mentioned in the Vedas as "The Existent and the Brahm" is alone present.

8. When the present visible world is not in existence, the Sat Brahm alone is present which Yogins observe perpetually in the inner Soul, the inner Firmament.

...

16-18. A form that goes everywhere, that has all forms, that sees all, that is the cause of all, that should be respected by all, that is at the beginning of all, that bestows everything, and that sanctifies everything should be created ( So it wished) and hence created that form of Isvara of pure nature. The original Being without a second, with neither beginning nor end, that illuminates everything, that is in the form of Cit (pure knowledge) , that which is termed Supreme Brahm, the all-pervasive and undecaying, vanished, The manifest form of the formless Being is Sadashiva. Scholars of the ancient and succeeding ages have sung of it as lshvara.

Creation of Goddess Durga by Sadashiva

19. God Sadashiva though alone, then created the physical form Shakti from his body. This Shakti did not affect his body in any way.

20. This Shakti is called by various names. Pradhana, Prakrti, Maya, Gunavati, Maya. The mother of Buddhi Tattva (The cosmic Intelligence) , Vikrtivarjita (without modification ).

21. That Shakti is Ambika, Prakrti and the goddess of all. She is the prime cause and the mother of the three deities.

22. She has eight arms. Her face wears a peculiar splendour, the splendour of a thousand moons. Thousands of stars perpetually sparkle round her face.

23. She is bedecked in various ornaments. She has various weapons. She is capable of various movements. Her eyes beam like a full blown lotus.

24. She has a brilliance which could hardly be conceived. She is the generating cause of all. She sprang up singly as Maya. In her union she manifested in various forms.

25. The supreme Purusa is Shiva. He is called Sambhu. He has no other lord over Him. He holds the Mandakini (Ganga ) on His head, and the crescent moon on His forehead. He has three eyes.

26. He has five faces. He is always joyful. He has ten arms. He holds the trident. He is as pure and white as camphor. His body is entirely dusted with the ash.

Sadashiva is also known as Brahm or Kaal

27. That Brahm form of Kaal together with Shakti, simultaneouly created the holy centre called Shivaloka.

28. The same is called Kashi, the excellent holy centre. It is the seat of salvation shining over and above everything.

29. The holy centre is of the nature of extreme Bliss in asmuch as the primordial lovers, supremely Blissful, made that beautiful holy centre their perpetual abode.

30. O sage, that holy centre is never, even at the time of Great Dissolution, free from Shiv and Shivaa (Shakti). Hence it is called Avimukta.

31. Since the holy centre is the cause of Bliss, the Pinaka-bearing lord (Shiva) called it "the blissful forest" and later "Avimukta".

32. O celestial sage, the blissful, two deities thus sporting in the forest wished, it is said, for another Being to be created.

Creation of Lord Vishnu by Sadashiva

33-38. Shiva thought within Himself like this- "Another being shall be created by me. Let him create everything, protect it and in the end let him dissolve it with my blessing. Having entrusted everything to him we two, remaming in Kashi shall roam as we please keeping only the prerogative of conferring salvation. We can stay happily in this blissful forest being free from worries (of creation). With the consent of Shiva the supreme lord spread the liquorine essence of nectar on His left side, on the tenth limb. Thereupon a person came into being who was the most charming one in the three worlds, who was calm with Sattva Guna being prominent, and who appeared to be the ocean of immeasurable majesty.

39. O sage, he was endowed with patience. There was no one comparable to him. He had the lustre of sapphire. He was glorious with his excellent eyes shining like a lotus.

40. He was having a golden form and features. He wore two excellent silk garments of golden colour. His arms were brawny and brilliant. He was indefatigable.

41. He bowed to Shiva Paramesvara and said - "O lord give me names and assign me my task."

42. On hearing it Lord Shiva laughed. With words thunderlike in resonance, Lord Shiva addressed the person thus. Shiva said :-

43. "You will be famous as Vishnu by name as you are all-pervasive. You will have many other names conferring happiness on devotees.

44. Perform penance highly conducive to the achivernent of the matter in hand, Be firm in it." Saying so, the lord bestowed on him the Vedas through his nostrils.

....

Shiv Purana Rudra Samhita Chapter 7 - English - Page 123

Creation of Brahma by Sadashiva

4. Exerting himself as before, Sadashiva, the great lord, with Parvati as his better half created me from His right limb.

As Brahma is narrating the above account, he is therefore talking about his own creation by Lord Sadashiva.

Shiv Puran | Rudra Samhita | Video

What is the age of Sadashiva?

Even God Sadashiva has a limited life span as he is not eternal. It is already known that Age of Shiva is finite who is the son of Sadashiva. Calculation of age of Sadashiva therefore is done by taking the age of Shiva as a base unit. When 70,000 Shiva die, one Sadashiva dies. Therefore age of Sadashiva is 70,000 times the age of Shiva.

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