Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 59

गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः

Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds

Devanagari script

स्वप्रमाणां सुखस्पर्शां रणांगणपणीकृताम् । दर्शनीयां महादिव्यां सर्वदैव सुखावहाम्

Transliteration

svapramāṇāṃ sukhasparśāṃ raṇāṃgaṇapaṇīkṛtām | darśanīyāṃ mahādivyāṃ sarvadaiva sukhāvahām

Translation

كانت تامّةَ التناسق، لطيفةَ الملمس—كأنّها جُعلت رهانًا وجائزةً في ساحة القتال. بهيّةً للنظر، ساميةً في ألوهيّتها، وكانت على الدوام باعثةً للسعادة.

Word by Word

• sva-pramāṇām: of fitting/own measure
• sva-pramāṇām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva + pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (sva-pramāṇa: 'of one’s own measure'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of kṛttim (understood from previous verse)

• sukha-sparśām: pleasant-touching
• sukha-sparśām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष ('pleasant to touch'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• raṇa-aṅgaṇa-paṇī-kṛtām: made a wager in the battlefield
• raṇa-aṅgaṇa-paṇī-kṛtām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raṇa + aṅgaṇa + paṇī + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास (determinative; 'made into a stake/pledge in the battlefield-arena'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• darśanīyām: worthy to be seen
• darśanīyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: darśanīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mahā-divyām: greatly divine
• mahā-divyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय ('great and divine'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (सर्वदा अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (adverb of time: 'always')

• eva: indeed
• eva: Nipāta (निपात/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• sukha-āvahām: bringing happiness
• sukha-āvahām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha + āvaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष ('bringing happiness'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Gajasamhāramūrti

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

The verse highlights auspicious darśana—beholding the divine form that naturally bestows sukha (well-being). In a Śaiva Siddhānta lens, such beauty is not mere sensuality but a sign of śakti and grace that turns the mind toward the Pati (Lord) and away from bondage.

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

By praising a manifest, “darśanīya” divinity, the text supports saguna-upāsanā—devotion to Shiva’s accessible, grace-filled presence. Linga worship similarly trains the devotee to focus the mind on Shiva’s auspicious form-symbol, receiving sukha and inner steadiness through reverent contemplation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is dhyāna on Shiva’s auspiciousness with mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—seeking a pure, happiness-bestowing vision (darśana) that calms the senses and aligns the mind with Shiva’s grace.