Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 5

विष्णोः स्तुतिः—शिवसतीरक्षावचनम्

Viṣṇu’s Hymn and the Petition for Śiva–Satī’s Protection

Devanagari script

स्निग्धनीलांजनश्यामशोभया शोभसे हर । दाक्षायण्या यथा चाहं प्रतिलोमेन पद्मया

Transliteration

snigdhanīlāṃjanaśyāmaśobhayā śobhase hara | dākṣāyaṇyā yathā cāhaṃ pratilomena padmayā

Translation

O Hara, du erstrahlst im Glanz eines sanften, dunkelblauen Anjana. Wie ich—Dākṣāyaṇī—leuchte, so leuchtest auch du; und umgekehrt leuchtet Padmā (Lakṣmī) ebenso.

Word by Word

• snigdha-nīla-añjana-śyāma-śobhayā: with (your) glossy dark-blue lustre
• snigdha-nīla-añjana-śyāma-śobhayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snigdha (प्रातिपदिक) + nīla (प्रातिपदिक) + añjana (प्रातिपदिक) + śyāma (प्रातिपदिक) + śobhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (विशेषण-विशेष्यसम्बन्ध) ‘स्निग्ध-नīल-अञ्जन-श्याम-शोभा’ = lustre of glossy blue collyrium-like darkness

• śobhase: you shine/appear splendid
• śobhase: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śubh (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (present), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana; ātmanepada

• hara: O Hara
• hara: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (vocative), Ekavacana

• dākṣāyaṇyāḥ: of Dakṣāyaṇī
• dākṣāyaṇyāḥ: Upamāna-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dākṣāyaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti, Ekavacana

• yathā: as/just as
• yathā: Upamā (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Upamā-avyaya (comparative particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Sam uccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; 1st person pronoun

• pratilomena: in reverse/contrarily
• pratilomena: Rīti/Prakāra-adhikaraṇa (रीति/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratiloma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa-avyaya (adverbial instrumental usage) ‘in reverse/contrary manner’

• padmayā: with Padmā (Lakṣmī)
• padmayā: Karaṇa/Upamāna (करण/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padmā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

Speaker

Sati (Dakshayani)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Sati
• Daksha
• Lakshmi

FAQs

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

Satī lovingly contemplates Shiva’s auspicious, perceptible (saguṇa) splendour, teaching that devotion refines perception—seeing the Lord’s form as inherently pure and radiant, beyond worldly judgment.

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

Though the verse praises Shiva’s visible beauty, it supports saguṇa-upāsanā: adoring Shiva’s manifest auspiciousness. In Shaiva Siddhanta, such reverent contemplation steadies the mind, leading the devotee toward deeper realization of Shiva as Pati, the liberator.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A simple dhyāna practice is implied: meditate on Shiva’s auspicious form while repeating the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—cultivating loving attention (bhakti) and inner purity.