Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 46

गिरिजातपः-परीक्षा तथा सप्तर्षि-आह्वानम्

Girijā’s Austerity-Test and the Summoning of the Seven Sages

Devanagari script

अमंगलवपुर्धारी निर्लज्जोऽसदनोऽकुली । कुवेषी प्रेतभूतादिसंगी नग्नौ हि शूलभृत्

Transliteration

amaṃgalavapurdhārī nirlajjo'sadano'kulī | kuveṣī pretabhūtādisaṃgī nagnau hi śūlabhṛt

Translation

«إنه يحمل هيئةً تبدو غير ميمونة؛ لا حياء له، لا مأوى له، مضطرب. سيّئ اللباس، يصاحب البريتات والبهوتات وأمثالهم—بل إنه عارٍ، حاملٌ للرمح الثلاثي.»

Word by Word

• अमङ्गलवपुःधारी: bearing an inauspicious body
• अमङ्गलवपुःधारी: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-maṅgala + vapus + dhārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘अमङ्गलं वपुः यस्य सः धारी’ (bearer of inauspicious body)

• निर्लज्जः: shameless
• निर्लज्जः: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-lajja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); निर्-पूर्वक तत्पुरुषः—‘लज्जा न यस्य’ (shameless)

• असदनः: without a dwelling
• असदनः: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-sadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); नञ्-तत्पुरुषः—‘सदनं न यस्य’ (homeless)

• अकुली: without (good) lineage
• अकुली: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kulī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); नञ्-तत्पुरुषः—‘कुली (कुलवान्) न’ (without noble lineage)

• कुवेषी: wearing bad attire
• कुवेषी: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ku-veṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); तत्पुरुषः—‘कु-वेषः यस्य’ (ill-dressed)

• प्रेतभूतादिसङ्गी: companion of pretas, bhūtas, etc.
• प्रेतभूतादिसङ्गी: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: preta + bhūta + ādi + saṅgin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); तत्पुरुषः—‘प्रेत-भूत-आदि- (with pretas, bhūtas, etc.) सङ्गी’ (companion of...)

• नग्नौ: naked
• नग्नौ: Viśeṣya (प्रातिपदिक-विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nagna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); variant nominative form used in some traditions/recensions (for नग्नः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) emphasis

• शूलभृत्: trident-bearer
• शूलभृत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla + bhṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘शूलं बिभर्ति’ (one who bears a trident)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the characterization of Shiva as perceived by worldly minds within the Parvati Khanda narrative)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse highlights how Shiva’s ascetic, cremation-ground-associated appearance can be misread as “inauspicious,” while Shaiva teaching points to his transcendence of worldly purity/impurity and his role as Pati (the Lord) who liberates beings beyond social and sensory judgments.

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

It contrasts external form with inner reality: Saguna Shiva may appear as the naked trident-bearing ascetic, yet in Linga worship devotees approach the same Supreme as the all-pervading, auspicious consciousness—teaching that devotion should not depend on outward appearances.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to cultivate vairagya and steady japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), supported by Shaiva marks like Tripundra (bhasma) and Rudraksha, remembering Shiva as the trident-bearer who cuts the bonds (pāśa) of fear and judgment.