Shloka 39

काम-शक्र-संवादः / Dialogue of Kāma and Śakra

Indra

Devanagari script

यथा तस्यां रुचिस्तस्य शिवस्य नियतात्मनः । जायते नितरां मार तथा कार्यं त्वया ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

yathā tasyāṃ rucistasya śivasya niyatātmanaḥ | jāyate nitarāṃ māra tathā kāryaṃ tvayā dhruvam

Translation

«O Māra (Kāma), handle gewiss und ohne Fehl, damit in dem selbstbezähmten Herrn Śiva eine überaus starke Anziehung zu ihr entstehe.»

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: सम्बन्धसूचक (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• तस्याम्: in her
• तस्याम्: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• रुचिः: desire, liking
• रुचिः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शिवस्य: of Śiva
• शिवस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• नियतात्मनः: of the self-controlled one
• नियतात्मनः: विशेषण (Adjectival to शिवस्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियत (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (नियतः आत्मा यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; शिवस्य विशेषणम्

• जायते: arises, is born
• जायते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नितराम्: exceedingly, greatly
• नितराम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नितराम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: intensifier)

• मार: O Māra (Kāma)
• मार: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• तथा: so, in that way
• तथा: सम्बन्धसूचक (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (thus/in that manner)

• कार्यम्: task, what must be done
• कार्यम्: कर्म (Karma/Object implied: do this task)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; here predicate noun (what is to be done)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: करण (Karaṇa/Instrumental agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial certainty)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (indeclinable usage meaning 'certainly')

Speaker

Tāraka (instructing Kāma/Māra in the Pārvatīkhaṇḍa narrative)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahadeva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Parvati

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Māra (Kāma)

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the tension between kāma (desire) and niyama (self-mastery): even when worldly forces try to provoke attraction, Śiva is portrayed as niyatātmā—perfectly disciplined—showing that liberation is rooted in mastery over impulses and alignment with dharma.

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

Śiva as the self-restrained Lord points devotees toward Saguna worship (Linga, mantra, pūjā) as a means to purify desire into devotion; the narrative contrasts ordinary attraction with the divine steadiness that Linga-upāsanā cultivates in the aspirant.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is restraint and inward discipline: steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a calm mind, supported by simple Shaiva observances like vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, to transform agitation into focused bhakti.