Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 19

शङ्खचूडवधकथनम् / The Account of Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Slaying

Devanagari script

तप्तात्मनां त्वमविता दीनबंधोऽनुजीविनाम् । रक्षरक्ष रमानाथ शरण्यश्शरणागतान्

Transliteration

taptātmanāṃ tvamavitā dīnabaṃdho'nujīvinām | rakṣarakṣa ramānātha śaraṇyaśśaraṇāgatān

Translation

Du bist der Beschützer derer, deren Herzen vom Leid versengt sind, der Verwandte der Hilflosen, die von deiner Gnade leben. O Herr der Ramā (Lakṣmī), beschütze—beschütze die zu dir Geflüchteten; denn du bist das Zuflucht selbst für die Hingebenden.

Word by Word

• taptātmanām: of the afflicted-souled
• taptātmanām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapta+ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तप्त-आत्मन् = “whose selves are afflicted”

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• avitā: protector
• avitā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ava+√tṛ/√trā (धातु)
• Form: तृन्-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; “protector”

• dīna-bandho: O friend/kinsman of the helpless
• dīna-bandho: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīna+bandhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; दीनानां बन्धुः

• anujīvinām: of dependents
• anujīvinām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anu+jīvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन; “dependents/those who live by (you)”

• rakṣa: protect
• rakṣa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• rakṣa: protect (again)
• rakṣa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• ramā-nātha: O lord of Ramā (Lakṣmī)
• ramā-nātha: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ramā+nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; रमायाः नाथः

• śaraṇyaḥ: O giver of refuge
• śaraṇyaḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा (Vocative/Nominative), एकवचन; here vocative sense “O refuge-giver”

• śaraṇa-āgatān: those who have sought refuge
• śaraṇa-āgatān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa+āgata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; शरणम् आगताः = “those who have come for refuge”

Speaker

A devotee/pleading party in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa narrative (addressing Lord Viṣṇu as the refuge of the surrendered)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: General śaraṇāgati-phala: protection (rakṣā), relief from saṃtāpa (tāpa-traya), and restoration of divine ‘kalā’/capacity through grace.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: rakṣa rakṣa ramānātha śaraṇyaḥ śaraṇāgatān

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Lalitā

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: dipa

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Lakshmi

FAQs

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

It expresses śaraṇāgati—complete surrender—where the distressed soul admits helplessness and appeals to the Lord as the sole protector; in Shaiva Siddhānta this mirrors the soul (paśu) seeking the Lord’s (Pati’s) grace to be freed from bonds (pāśa).

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

Though addressed here to a personal Lord (saguṇa) as “refuge,” the same devotional posture applies in Liṅga-worship: the devotee approaches Śiva’s manifest form with humility, prayer, and trust in grace, which ripens the heart for realization beyond forms (nirguṇa).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice daily śaraṇāgati with japa—especially pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) in Shaiva practice—along with simple prayer for protection; optionally wear rudrākṣa and apply tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as reminders of dependence on Śiva’s grace.