Shloka 46

प्रणवार्थ-शिवतत्त्व-निर्णयः

The Determination of Śiva as the Meaning of Praṇava

Devanagari script

इति जप्त्वा नमस्कृत्य साष्टांगं भुवि दण्डवत् । स्थित्वा तु प्राङ्मुखः शम्भोः पादाब्जयुगलं स्मरन्

Transliteration

iti japtvā namaskṛtya sāṣṭāṃgaṃ bhuvi daṇḍavat | sthitvā tu prāṅmukhaḥ śambhoḥ pādābjayugalaṃ smaran

Translation

وبعد أن جَهَرَ بالمانترا على هذا النحو، انحنى بخشوع وسجد على الأرض سجودًا تامًّا (ساشتانغا sāṣṭāṅga) كالعصا الممدودة. ثم قام مستقبلًا الشرق، متذكّرًا ومتأمّلًا زوج قدمي اللوتس لِشَمبهو (Śambhu)، الربّ شيفا.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यर्थक-निपात (quotative/thus)

• japtvā: having recited
• japtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); ‘having recited/muttered’

• namaskṛtya: having bowed/saluted
• namaskṛtya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: namas-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); ‘having saluted’

• sāṣṭāṅgam: with eight limbs (prostration)
• sāṣṭāṅgam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-aṣṭāṅga (प्रातिपदिक; sa + aṣṭa + aṅga)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष/सह-समास (with ‘sa-’ = ‘with’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् ‘(doing) with eight limbs’

• bhuvi: on the ground
• bhuvi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• daṇḍavat: like a staff (fully prostrate)
• daṇḍavat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daṇḍavat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (adverb ‘like a staff’, i.e., fully prostrate)

• sthitvā: having stood
• sthitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); ‘having stood/remained’

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• prāṅmukhaḥ: facing east/forward
• prāṅmukhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāṅ-mukha (प्रातिपदिक; prāṅ + mukha)
• Form: कर्मधारय (descriptive); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; ‘east-facing/forward-facing’

• śambhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śambhoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• pādābja-yugalam: the pair of lotus-feet
• pādābja-yugalam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda-abja-yugala (प्रातिपदिक; pāda + abja + yugala)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन

• smaran: remembering
• smaran: Karta (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), परस्मैपदी; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘remembering’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Mantra Metadata

Type: panchakshara

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches the Shaiva discipline of surrender after mantra-japa: complete humility (aṣṭāṅga/daṇḍavat praṇāma) followed by steady remembrance of Śiva’s lotus-feet, a bhakti-based focus that purifies the bound soul (paśu) and turns it toward Pati (Śiva).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The sequence—japa, prostration, then meditation—matches Saguna upāsanā: one worships Śiva in an approachable form (such as the Liṅga or Śambhu as Lord), and then internalizes that devotion through dhyāna on His lotus-feet, making outer ritual mature into inner contemplation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform mantra-japa, offer daṇḍavat (aṣṭāṅga) prostration on the ground, then stand facing east and meditate on Lord Śiva’s lotus-feet—an integrated practice of japa, praṇāma, and dhyāna (often done alongside Shaiva observances like bhasma and rudrākṣa where prescribed).