1042
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[ Canto 4, Ch. 24 ]
Bhagavad-gītā , which culminates in surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally people worship Lord Śiva for some material benefit, and although they cannot see him personally, they nonetheless derive great material profit by worshiping him.
TEXT 18
अत्मारामोऽपि यस्त्वस्य लोककल्पस्य राक्षसे ।
शक्त्या युक्तो विचरति घोरया भगवान् भवः ॥१८॥
ātmārāmo 'pi yas tv asya
loka-kalpasya rādhase
śaktyā yukto vicarati
ghorayā bhagavān bhavaḥ
ātmārāmaḥ —self-satisfied;  api —although he is;  yaḥ —one who is;  tu —but;  asya —this;  loka —material world;  kalpasya —when manifested;  rādhase —for the matter of helping its existence;  śaktyā —potencies;  yuktaḥ —being engaged;  vicarati —he acts;  ghorayā —very dangerous;  bhagavān —His Lordship;  bhavaḥ —Śiva.
TRANSLATION
Lord Śiva, the most powerful demigod, second only to Lord Viṣṇu, is self-sufficient. Although he has nothing to aspire for in the material world, for the benefit of those in the material world he is always busily engaged everywhere and is accompanied by his dangerous energies like Goddess Kālī and Goddess Durgā.
PURPORT
Lord Śiva is known as the greatest devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is also known as  vaiṣṇavānām yathā śambhuḥ , the best of all types of Vaiṣṇavas. Consequently Lord Śiva has a Vaiṣṇava  sampradāya , the disciplic succession known as Rudra-sampradāya. Just as there is a Brahma-sampradāya coming directly from Lord Brahmā, the Rudra-sampradāya comes directly from Lord Śiva. As stated in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , Lord Śiva is one of the twelve great personalities. This refers to the twelve great authorities who preach God consciousness. The name Śambhu means Lord Śiva. His disciplic succession is also known as the Viṣṇusvāmi-sampradāya, and the current Viṣṇusvāmi-sampradāya is also known as the Vallabha-sampradāya. The current Brahma-sampradāya is known as the Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Even though Lord Śiva appeared to preach Māyāvāda philosophy, at the end of