Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 45

लिङ्गपूजनसंक्षेपः

Concise Teaching on Liṅga Worship / Śiva-arcana-vidhi

Devanagari script

कल्पयेदासनं स्वस्तिपद्मादि प्रणवेन तु । तस्मात्पूर्वदिशं साक्षादणिमामयमक्षरम्

Transliteration

kalpayedāsanaṃ svastipadmādi praṇavena tu | tasmātpūrvadiśaṃ sākṣādaṇimāmayamakṣaram

Translation

Mit dem Praṇava (Oṁ) soll man im Geist den heiligen Sitz gestalten—etwa den glückverheißenden Lotossitz. Von dieser Anordnung aus richte man dann im Osten die unvergängliche Silbe selbst auf, offenbar als die Kraft der aṇimā, der äußersten Feinheit und Kleinheit.

Word by Word

• kalpayet: should arrange/construct
• kalpayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kḷp (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष, 3rd person), Eka-vacana (एकवचन, singular)

• āsanam: seat
• āsanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka-liṅga (नपुंसकलिङ्ग, neuter), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (द्वितीया, accusative), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• svasti-padmādi: (of the type) svasti-padma etc.
• svasti-padmādi: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of āsanam
• Type: Noun
• Root: svasti (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka-liṅga (नपुंसकलिङ्ग, neuter), Prathamā-vibhakti (प्रथमा, nominative), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); samāsa: tatpurūṣa—“svasti-padma-ādi” = “svasti-padma etc.” (ādi = ‘and the like’)

• praṇavena: with the praṇava (Oṃ)
• praṇavena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग, masculine), Tṛtīyā-vibhakti (तृतीया, instrumental), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha/Avadhāraṇa (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) indicating emphasis/contrast

• tasmāt: from that (thereafter/from it)
• tasmāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम, pronoun), Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Pañcamī-vibhakti (पञ्चमी, ablative), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• pūrva-diśam: the eastern direction
• pūrva-diśam: Karma (कर्म) / Dik-viśeṣa (दिक्-विशेष)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग, feminine), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (द्वितीया, accusative), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); samāsa: karmadhāraya—“pūrvā diś” = eastern direction

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning ‘directly/manifestly’

• aṇimā-mayam: made of aṇimā (minuteness)
• aṇimā-mayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of akṣaram
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṇimā (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka-liṅga (नपुंसकलिङ्ग, neuter), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (द्वितीया, accusative), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); samāsa: tatpurūṣa—“aṇimā-maya” = ‘consisting of aṇimā (siddhi)’

• akṣaram: imperishable syllable/letter (akṣara)
• akṣaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka-liṅga (नपुंसकलिङ्ग, neuter), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (द्वितीया, accusative), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana’s ritual-dhyāna procedure to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya, within the Rudrasaṁhitā context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: oṃ (praṇava)

Type: gayatri

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that Shiva-worship begins inwardly: by establishing an auspicious meditative seat through Oṁ and then placing the imperishable mantra-principle into the cosmos of directions—signifying that consciousness (Śiva) pervades and orders the practitioner’s inner space.

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

Before external offerings to the Liṅga (Saguna worship), the devotee performs mantra-based inner arrangement (dhyāna/nyāsa). The Praṇava is treated as Shiva’s living sound-form, preparing the mind-field where the Liṅga is contemplated as the manifest support of the formless Reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Visualize an auspicious lotus-seat using Oṁ (Praṇava), then perform directional mantra-installation beginning with the east, contemplating the mantra as ‘akṣara’ (imperishable) and as subtle, aṇimā-like presence—steadying the mind for japa and pūjā.