Shloka 20

Vāmadeva-mata: Rahasya-upadeśa

The Esoteric Teaching of Vāmadeva’s Doctrine

Devanagari script

चतुर्भुजमुदारांगं मुकुटादिविभूषितम् । शक्तिरत्नद्वयोपास्यं शक्तिकुक्कुटधारिणम्

Transliteration

caturbhujamudārāṃgaṃ mukuṭādivibhūṣitam | śaktiratnadvayopāsyaṃ śaktikukkuṭadhāriṇam

Translation

Er war vierarmig, von edler Gestalt, geschmückt mit Krone und anderem Schmuck. Verehrt wurde er durch die zwei heiligen Kräfte, die wie Juwelen strahlen, und er trug die Śakti sowie das Hahn-Emblem—so offenbarte er eine gestaltete (saguṇa) Form, geeignet für Verehrung und Betrachtung.

Word by Word

• चतुर्-भुजम्: four-armed
• चतुर्-भुजम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (चत्वारः भुजाः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कुमारम्/स्कन्दम्) इति विशेषण

• उदार-अङ्गम्: with noble limbs/body
• उदार-अङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदार (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मुकुट-आदि-विभूषितम्: adorned with a crown and other ornaments
• मुकुट-आदि-विभूषितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुकुट (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + विभूषित (कृदन्त; √भूष् धातु, वि-उपसर्ग)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मुकुटादिभिः विभूषितम्); विभूषित = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शक्ति-रत्न-द्वय-उपास्यम्: to be worshipped with the pair of gems and the spear (śakti)
• शक्ति-रत्न-द्वय-उपास्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक) + उपास्य (कृदन्त; √आस्/उप-आस् धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; उपास्य = तव्यत्/ण्यत्-अर्थे कृदन्त (gerundive; 'to be worshipped/served'), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शक्ति-कुक्कुट-धारिणम्: bearing the spear and the rooster (emblem)
• शक्ति-कुक्कुट-धारिणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कुक्कुट (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिन् (कृदन्त; √धृ धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; धारिन् = शतृ/इन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present participial/agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights how the Supreme is approachable through a manifest, ornamented form (saguṇa) that the devotee can lovingly contemplate—turning perception into devotion and devotion into inner stillness oriented to Shiva.

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

The verse supports saguṇa-upāsanā: meditating on Shiva’s perceivable attributes and emblems as aids for concentration; this complements Liṅga worship, where the same reality is approached through a more aniconic, universal symbol.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is dhyāna (visualization) of the described form while repeating the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—using the iconographic details as steady supports for one-pointed devotion.