Shloka 40

मेनावरलाभवर्णनम् — Description of Menā’s Attainment of Boons

and the worship leading to Umā’s advent

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । एवमुक्त्वा जगद्धात्री कालिका परमेश्वरी । पश्यन्त्या मेनकायास्तु तत्रैवान्तर्दधे शिवा

Transliteration

brahmovāca | evamuktvā jagaddhātrī kālikā parameśvarī | paśyantyā menakāyāstu tatraivāntardadhe śivā

Translation

Brahmā sprach: Nachdem sie so geredet hatte, verschwand die höchste Göttin Kālikā, die Trägerin der Welten, sogleich an eben diesem Ort, während Menakā zusah.

Word by Word

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; वक्तृ-निर्देशः

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपदी; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: thus)

• uktvā: having spoken
• uktvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अर्थः—‘उक्त्वा’ (having said)

• jagat-dhātrī: the sustainer of the world
• jagat-dhātrī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + dhātrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (jagataḥ dhātrī)

• kālikā: Kālikā
• kālikā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• parameśvarī: the Supreme Goddess
• parameśvarī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parameśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• paśyantyāḥ: while (she) was watching / of the watching (one)
• paśyantyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘पश्यन्त्याः’ = while (she) was seeing / of the seeing one

• menakāyāḥ: of Menakā
• menakāyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: menakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेष/विरोधार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: there)

• eva: just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (particle: just/indeed)

• antardadhe: disappeared/vanished
• antardadhe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: antar-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), आत्मनेपदी; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• śivā: Śivā (the Goddess)
• śivā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahma

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Kālīkā
• Śivā (Pārvatī)
• Menakā

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the Goddess’s sovereignty over appearance and disappearance: divine presence is not bound to ordinary perception, and darśana is granted and withdrawn by her grace, directing the devotee from outer sight to inner recognition.

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

Like Saguna Śiva worship through the Liṅga—where the Infinite is approached through a visible form—Kālikā/Śivā manifests for guidance and then withdraws, teaching that form is a compassionate doorway to the formless Reality (Pati) beyond sensory grasp.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Cultivate steady remembrance after darśana: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with calm breath and a mind fixed on Śiva-Śakti unity, treating outer visions as grace and sustaining inner devotion through daily worship.