Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 22

मन्त्रसिद्धिः, प्रतिबन्धनिरासः, श्रद्धा-नियमाः

Mantra Efficacy, Removal of Obstacles, and the Role of Faith/Discipline

Devanagari script

उत्तरं विद्रुमप्रख्यं नीलालकविभूषितम् । पश्चिमं पूर्णचंद्राभं सौम्यमिंदुकलाधरम्

Transliteration

uttaraṃ vidrumaprakhyaṃ nīlālakavibhūṣitam | paścimaṃ pūrṇacaṃdrābhaṃ saumyamiṃdukalādharam

Translation

كان وجهها الشمالي يلمع كالمَرْجان، مزدانًا بخُصلٍ ملتفّة زرقاء داكنة. وكان وجهها الغربي لطيفًا مضيئًا كالبدر، حاملاً هلال القمر.

Word by Word

• उत्तरम्: the northern (face/direction)
• उत्तरम्: कर्म (Karma/Accusative object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; दिक्शब्दः

• विद्रुम-प्रख्यम्: coral-like
• विद्रुम-प्रख्यम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विद्रुम (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ('resembling coral')

• नील-आलक-विभूषितम्: adorned with dark-blue curls
• नील-आलक-विभूषितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक) + आलक (प्रातिपदिक) + विभूषित (कृदन्त; भूष् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः (PPP) ‘विभूषित’ = भूष् (धातु) + क्त; तत्पुरुषः ('adorned with blue curls')

• पश्चिमम्: the western (face/direction)
• पश्चिमम्: कर्म (Karma/Accusative object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; दिक्शब्दः

• पूर्ण-चन्द्र-आभम्: shining like the full moon
• पूर्ण-चन्द्र-आभम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ('having the splendour of the full moon')

• सौम्यम्: gentle, auspicious
• सौम्यम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• इन्दु-कला-धरम्: bearing the moon’s crescent
• इन्दु-कला-धरम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक) + कला (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ('bearing the moon’s digit/crescent')

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vāmadeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: The north (coral radiance) and west (full-moon gentleness with crescent) aspects stabilize the devotee’s mind—supporting sthiti (sustaining) of dhyāna and bhakti, culminating in receptivity to grace.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents a dhyāna-style vision of Shiva’s auspicious (saumya) Saguna form—radiant, serene, and moon-crowned—so the devotee’s mind gains steadiness and purity, which Shaiva Siddhanta treats as a support for grace (anugraha) and liberation.

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

Though Shiva is ultimately beyond form (Niṣkala/Nirguna), the Purana teaches meditation on his manifest qualities (Sakala/Saguna) as a practical means. Such directional, luminous descriptions function like a mental linga-darśana—fixing attention on Shiva’s auspicious marks (especially the moon-bearing head) during pūjā and japa.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice Shiva-dhyāna during Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), visualizing Shiva as gentle and full-moon radiant, with the crescent moon on his head; this can be paired with traditional Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrākṣa for steadiness in worship.