Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 33

कार्तिकेयलीलावर्णनम्

Narration of Kārttikeya’s Divine Play

Devanagari script

तं बालकं कुमाराख्यं स्तनं दत्त्वा स्तनार्थिने । वर्द्धयामासुरीशस्य सुतं सूर्याधिकप्रभम्

Transliteration

taṃ bālakaṃ kumārākhyaṃ stanaṃ dattvā stanārthine | varddhayāmāsurīśasya sutaṃ sūryādhikaprabham

Translation

Indem sie dem Säugling namens Kumāra, der nach Milch verlangte, die Brust gab, nährte und zog sie den Sohn Īśas (des Herrn Śiva) groß, strahlend in einem Glanz, der die Sonne übertrifft.

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• bālakam: the child
• bālakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• kumāra-ākhyam: named ‘Kumāra’
• kumāra-ākhyam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—कुमार इति आख्यः (नामधेय-तत्पुरुष)

• stanam: breast (for nursing)
• stanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); 'having given'

• stana-arthine: to the one desiring the breast (the nursing infant)
• stana-arthine: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stana (प्रातिपदिक) + arthin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; समासः—स्तनस्य अर्थी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• varddhayāmāsuḥ: they nourished/raised
• varddhayāmāsuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense implied by stem varddhaya- (णिच्)

• īśasya: of the Lord
• īśasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• sutam: son
• sutam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• sūrya-adhika-prabham: having radiance greater than the sun
• sūrya-adhika-prabham: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—सूर्यादधिकः प्रभः यस्य (ablative/comparative tatpuruṣa)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kumara (Kartikeya/Skanda)

FAQs

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

It highlights how divine grace (Śiva’s śakti acting through nurturing care) supports the manifestation of the Lord’s purpose in the world—Kumāra is raised with extraordinary tejas, indicating a soul empowered for dharmic protection.

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

Kumāra is explicitly called “Īśa’s son,” grounding devotion in Saguna Śiva—Śiva known through forms, relationships, and līlā—while his sun-surpassing radiance points to the same Supreme’s transcendent power behind the form worshipped as the Liṅga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva’s tejas (divine radiance) in the heart while repeating the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a simple daily practice, cultivating purity and protective strength aligned with Kumāra’s luminous dharma.