Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 29

विष्णुचेष्टितवर्णनम् / Account of Viṣṇu’s Stratagem and Its Aftermath

Devanagari script

वृन्दालावण्यसंभ्रातो विष्णुस्तिष्ठति तत्र वै । तच्चिताभस्मसंधारी ज्ञानभ्रष्टो विमोहितः

Transliteration

vṛndālāvaṇyasaṃbhrāto viṣṇustiṣṭhati tatra vai | taccitābhasmasaṃdhārī jñānabhraṣṭo vimohitaḥ

Translation

Dort stand wahrlich Viṣṇu, betört von Vṛndās bezaubernder Schönheit. Mit der Asche des Scheiterhaufens bedeckt, war ihm das rechte Unterscheidungsvermögen entschwunden, und er war völlig verblendet.

Word by Word

• वृन्दा-लावण्य-संभ्रातः: bewildered by Vṛndā’s beauty
• वृन्दा-लावण्य-संभ्रातः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛndā (प्रातिपदिक) + lāvaṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhrāta (√bhram/√bhrā?; here adjectival past participle sense 'confused/overwhelmed')
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); compound sense: वृन्दायाः लावण्येन संभ्रातः = 'bewildered/overpowered by Vṛndā's beauty'; qualifies विष्णुः

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• तिष्ठति: stands/remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of place

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic

• तत्: that (one)
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); deictic 'that (one)' referring to Viṣṇu

• चिताभस्म-संधारी: bearing cremation-ash
• चिताभस्म-संधारी: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhasma (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃdhārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); compound: चितायाः भस्म (genitive tatpurusha) + तद् संधारी (holder/bearer)

• ज्ञान-भ्रष्टः: deprived of knowledge
• ज्ञान-भ्रष्टः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhraṣṭa (√bhraṃś/√bhraṣ; क्त)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); 'fallen from knowledge'

• विमोहितः: deluded
• विमोहितः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√muh (धातु) + ita (क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga narrative; it depicts Viṣṇu himself caught in moha—an illustration of the binding power of māyā/tirodhāna when discernment (jñāna) is eclipsed.

Significance: Doctrinal: emphasizes that bondage (pāśa) is fundamentally cognitive/ontological (jñānabhraṃśa), and release requires restoration through higher grace.

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vrinda

FAQs

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

The verse highlights how moha (delusion born of attraction) can eclipse jñāna (right discernment), even for exalted beings—underscoring the Shaiva teaching that liberation requires steadiness of awareness and freedom from infatuation.

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

By showing the fall of discernment through desire, the narrative implicitly points to Saguna Shiva worship (Linga devotion) as a stabilizing refuge—centering the mind on Śiva, the Pati, who dispels moha and restores clarity.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The mention of bhasma evokes Tripuṇḍra/vibhūti-dhāraṇa as a reminder of impermanence and detachment; paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), it supports vigilance against delusion.