Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 69

नारदस्य विष्णूपदेशवर्णनम् — Nārada and Viṣṇu: Instruction after Delusion

Devanagari script

उरस्याधाय विशदे शिवस्य चरणाम्बुजौ । शिवतीर्थानि विचर प्रथमं मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

urasyādhāya viśade śivasya caraṇāmbujau | śivatīrthāni vicara prathamaṃ munisattama

Translation

O Bester der Weisen, lege die lotosgleichen Füße Śivas auf deine reine Brust; dann ziehe zuerst aus und wandere durch die heiligen Tīrthas, die Śiva geweiht sind.

Word by Word

• urasi: on the chest
• urasi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (singular)

• ādhāya: having placed
• ādhāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-dhā (धा धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having placed’

• viśade: pure, clear
• viśade: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Dvivacana (dual)

• śivasya: of Śiva
• śivasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (singular)

• caraṇa-ambujau: the lotus-feet
• caraṇa-ambujau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ambuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Dvivacana (dual); Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘caraṇayoḥ ambujau’

• śiva-tīrthāni: Śiva’s sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• śiva-tīrthāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (plural); Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘śivasya tīrthāni’

• vicara: wander, visit
• vicara: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-car (चर् धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्; imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana (singular), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• prathamaṃ: first
• prathamaṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (adverb)

• muni-sattama: O best of sages
• muni-sattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana (singular); Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘sattamo muniḥ’

Speaker

Brahma

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: General injunction toward Śiva-tīrtha-yātrā: pilgrimage is framed as a means to internalize Śiva’s pāda-sevā (service to the Lord’s feet) and receive purifying merit leading toward grace.

Significance: Pilgrimage to Śiva-tīrthas is portrayed as a preparatory purification (mala-kṣaya) and devotional intensification supporting liberation-oriented worship.

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse centers liberation-oriented bhakti: holding Śiva’s lotus-feet close (as the supreme refuge, Pati) and purifying one’s being through Śiva-tīrtha pilgrimage, which supports the soul (paśu) in loosening bonds (pāśa) through devotion and sanctified contact.

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

Śiva-tīrthas commonly enshrine Saguna forms such as the Śiva-liṅga; the instruction to visit them affirms embodied worship—darśana, pūjā, and remembrance of Śiva’s feet—as a practical path to approach the transcendent (Nirguṇa) through accessible sacred symbols.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests tīrtha-yātrā with sustained foot-focused devotion: mentally placing Śiva’s lotus-feet in the heart/chest while traveling, accompanied by simple Śaiva observances such as japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and tīrtha-darśana/pūjā where available.