Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 48

विष्णुचेष्टितवर्णनम् / Account of Viṣṇu’s Stratagem and Its Aftermath

Devanagari script

विष्णुर्वनस्पतीर्दृष्ट्वा तदा स्त्रीरूपिणीर्मुने । उदतिष्ठत्तदा तासु रागातिशयविभ्रमात्

Transliteration

viṣṇurvanaspatīrdṛṣṭvā tadā strīrūpiṇīrmune | udatiṣṭhattadā tāsu rāgātiśayavibhramāt

Translation

O Weiser, als Viṣṇu jene Bäume sah, die die Gestalt von Frauen angenommen hatten, wurde er zu ihnen hingezogen—sein Geist war durch Übermaß an Leidenschaft verwirrt.

Word by Word

• विष्णुः: Vishnu
• विष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वनस्पतीन्: trees
• वनस्पतीन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• स्त्री-रूपिणीः: women-formed (female-shaped ones)
• स्त्री-रूपिणीः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तत्पुरुष (स्त्रीरूपिणी = स्त्रीरूपा)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• उदतिष्ठत्: arose / stood up
• उदतिष्ठत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तासु: among them / in them
• तासु: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• राग-अतिशय-विभ्रमात्: from/owing to the agitation of excessive passion
• राग-अतिशय-विभ्रमात्: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राग (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिशय (प्रातिपदिक) + विभ्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (रागातिशयविभ्रम = रागस्य अतिशयेन विभ्रमः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It highlights how rāga (passionate attachment) can cloud even a mighty deity’s discernment, illustrating the Shaiva teaching that bondage (pāśa) arises from desire and delusion and must be transcended for steadiness on the path to mokṣa.

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

The narrative underscores the need for inner purity before approaching Saguna Shiva in Linga-worship: devotion becomes stable when the mind is not agitated by rāga, and the Linga serves as a focus to gather the senses and restore dharmic clarity.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is cultivating vairāgya through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and disciplined worship with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) as a reminder to reduce passion and stabilize the mind.