Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 30

देवस्तुतिः—शिवस्य परब्रह्मत्वं, मायाशक्तिः, कर्मफलप्रदातृत्वं च

Devas’ Hymn: Śiva as Parabrahman, Māyā-Śakti, and Giver of Karmic Fruits

Devanagari script

भस्मदिग्धशरीराय रुद्राक्षाभरणाय च । नमो ह्रस्वाय दीर्घाय वामनाय नमोस्तु ते

Transliteration

bhasmadigdhaśarīrāya rudrākṣābharaṇāya ca | namo hrasvāya dīrghāya vāmanāya namostu te

Translation

Ehrerbietung Dir, dessen Leib mit heiliger Asche bestrichen und mit Rudrākṣa-Perlen geschmückt ist. Ehrerbietung Dir, der zugleich Klein und Unermesslich ist; als Vāmana erscheinend und doch allausdehnend — Ehrerbietung Dir.

Word by Word

• bhasma-digdha-śarīrāya: to the one whose body is smeared with ash
• bhasma-digdha-śarīrāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasma-digdha-śarīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग-आश्रित-प्रयोग (śarīra n.), चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘ash-smeared body’)

• rudrākṣa-ābharaṇāya: to the one with rudrākṣa ornaments
• rudrākṣa-ābharaṇāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudrākṣa-ābharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘rudrākṣa as ornament’)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थे

• hrasvāya: to the short (one)
• hrasvāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hrasva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; विशेषण

• dīrghāya: to the long/tall (one)
• dīrghāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; विशेषण

• vāmanāya: to Vāmana (the dwarf)
• vāmanāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थे

• astu: may it be
• astu: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थे ‘let it be’

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: 2nd person pronoun, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन (enclitic)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the hymn of praise within the Satī-khaṇḍa context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: भस्मदिग्धशरीराय रुद्राक्षाभरणाय च । नमो ह्रस्वाय दीर्घाय वामनाय नमोस्तु ते

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudraksha
• Bhasma

FAQs

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

It praises Śiva through Shaiva Siddhānta markers—Bhasma and Rudrākṣa—signifying purity, renunciation, and devotion, while affirming His paradoxical nature: simultaneously immanent (near, small) and transcendent (vast, limitless).

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

The verse highlights Saguna Śiva worship through visible sacred emblems (bhasma/Tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa), which traditionally accompany Liṅga-pūjā and japa, training the mind to recognize the Nirguṇa Reality through a concrete devotional form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt Shaiva discipline: apply bhasma (vibhūti/Tripuṇḍra), wear Rudrākṣa, and perform japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with the contemplation that Śiva is both the smallest within and the infinite beyond.