Shloka 36

Vāmadeva-mata: Rahasya-upadeśa

The Esoteric Teaching of Vāmadeva’s Doctrine

Devanagari script

इति स्तुत्वा वामदेवो देवं सेनापतिं प्रभुम् । प्रदक्षिणात्रयं कृत्वा प्रणम्य भुवि दण्डवत्

Transliteration

iti stutvā vāmadevo devaṃ senāpatiṃ prabhum | pradakṣiṇātrayaṃ kṛtvā praṇamya bhuvi daṇḍavat

Translation

So lobpreisend pries Vāmadeva den Herrn — den göttlichen Heerführer und höchsten Souverän. Dann vollzog er drei Pradakṣiṇā (Umkreisungen) und verneigte sich, um sich auf der Erde im Daṇḍavat niederzuwerfen, wie ein Stab, in völliger Hingabe.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय

• स्तुत्वा: having praised
• स्तुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• वामदेवः: Vāmadeva
• वामदेवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—वाम + देव (कर्मधारयः)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• सेनापतिम्: the commander of the army
• सेनापतिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनापति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—सेना + पति (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• प्रभुम्: the lord
• प्रभुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणात्रयम्: three circumambulations
• प्रदक्षिणात्रयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा+त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—त्रय (संख्या) + प्रदक्षिणा (द्विगु-समासः)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+नम् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• भुवि: on the ground
• भुवि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• दण्डवत्: prostrate (like a staff)
• दण्डवत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दण्डवत् (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारार्थक (adverb: ‘like a staff’, prostrate)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Models the Siddhāntic approach to grace: humility (vinaya), praise (stuti), and embodied surrender (praṇāma) as proximate causes for Śiva’s/Īśvara’s anugraha.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Vāmadeva
• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse models Shaiva bhakti as embodied surrender: praise (stuti), then disciplined worship through pradakṣiṇā, culminating in daṇḍavat-praṇāma—ego laid down before Pati (Shiva), the liberating Lord.

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

Pradakṣiṇā and prostration are classic acts of Saguna Shiva worship, commonly performed around the Shiva-linga; the devotee honors Shiva as the manifest Lord who graciously receives reverence and grants purification and grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform three pradakṣiṇās with mindful remembrance of Shiva (often with the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), then offer daṇḍavat-praṇāma—an outer act that supports inner humility and one-pointed devotion.