Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 15

नभोवाणी-दक्ष-निन्दा तथा सती-माहात्म्य-प्रतिपादनम् / The Celestial Voice Rebukes Dakṣa and Proclaims Satī’s Greatness

Devanagari script

शंभुर्हि परमेशानस्सर्वस्वामी परात्परः । विष्णुब्रह्मादिसंसेव्यः सर्वकल्याणकारकः

Transliteration

śaṃbhurhi parameśānassarvasvāmī parātparaḥ | viṣṇubrahmādisaṃsevyaḥ sarvakalyāṇakārakaḥ

Translation

حقًّا إنَّ شَمبهو (Śambhu) هو الربّ الأعلى (Parameśāna)، سيّد الكون ومالك كلّ شيء، أسمى من الأسمى؛ يعبده حتى فيشنو وبراهما وسائر الآلهة، وهو سبب كلّ بركةٍ ويُمنٍ.

Word by Word

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष-नाम (Śambhu/Śiva)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Avyaya-function (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक (indeed/for)

• parameśānaḥ: the Supreme Lord
• parameśānaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता) (apposition to śaṃbhuḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama + īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (‘supreme lord’)

• sarva-svāmī: lord of all
• sarva-svāmī: Kartā (कर्ता) (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + svāmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘lord of all’)

• parāt-paraḥ: beyond the highest
• parāt-paraḥ: Kartā (कर्ता) (viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parāt + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘beyond the beyond / higher than the highest’)

• viṣṇu-brahma-ādi-saṃsevyaḥ: served by Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and others
• viṣṇu-brahma-ādi-saṃsevyaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता) (viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu + brahmā + ādi + saṃsevya (√sev, यत्/ण्यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘to be served by Viṣṇu, Brahmā, etc.’); saṃsevya = कृदन्त (gerundive) used adjectivally

• sarva-kalyāṇa-kārakaḥ: creator of all auspiciousness
• sarva-kalyāṇa-kārakaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता) (viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + kalyāṇa + kāraka (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ, ण्वुल्/क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘maker of all auspiciousness’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: This proclamation frames Śiva as Parameśāna served by Viṣṇu and Brahmā—an interpretive key used in many sthala-purāṇas to explain why a liṅga-site is ‘self-manifest’ and why even gods worship there.

Significance: Affirms that approaching Śambhu as the supreme Pati yields sarva-kalyāṇa (all-auspicious welfare), surpassing merely transactional ritual merit.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Brahma

FAQs

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

The verse establishes Shiva (Śambhu) as Pati—the supreme, transcendent Lord—who grants all auspiciousness; devotion to Him is presented as the sure foundation for welfare in life and liberation beyond it.

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

By declaring Shiva as Parameśāna and universally worship-worthy, the text supports Saguna worship—such as Linga-pūjā—as a valid means to approach the transcendent Parātpara reality through a sacred, accessible form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steady Shiva-bhakti through daily Linga worship with the Panchākṣarī mantra ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), along with traditional Shaiva aids like vibhūti (Tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as supports for remembrance.