Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 25

दक्षस्य यज्ञप्रवृत्तिः तथा ईश्वरवर्जितदेवसमागमः

Dakṣa’s Sacrificial Undertaking and the Devas’ Assembly without Īśvara

Devanagari script

सहस्रवदनं देवं सहस्रकमलेक्षणम् । सहस्रमुद्गरधरं सहस्रशरपाणिकम्

Transliteration

sahasravadanaṃ devaṃ sahasrakamalekṣaṇam | sahasramudgaradharaṃ sahasraśarapāṇikam

Translation

Ich schaute den göttlichen Herrn mit tausend Antlitzen, mit tausend lotosgleichen Augen; tausend Keulen tragend und mit Händen, die tausend Pfeile hielten. So wird Pati (Śiva) gepriesen als der Unermessliche und Allgegenwärtige in seiner saguṇa-Gestalt, dessen Kräfte unzählig erscheinen, um die paśu, die gebundenen Seelen, zu erheben.

Word by Word

• सहस्रवदनम्: having a thousand faces
• सहस्रवदनम्: विशेषण (of कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र + वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: द्विगु (सहस्रं वदनानि यस्य = having a thousand faces); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of देवं)

• देवम्: the god (Vīrabhadra)
• देवम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• सहस्रकमलेक्षणम्: with a thousand lotus-like eyes
• सहस्रकमलेक्षणम्: विशेषण (of कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र + कमल + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: द्विगु/बहुपद-समास (सहस्रं कमल-ईक्षणानि यस्य = whose eyes are (like) a thousand lotuses); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• सहस्रमुद्गरधरम्: bearing a thousand maces
• सहस्रमुद्गरधरम्: विशेषण (of कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र + मुद्गर + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: द्विगु (सहस्रान् मुद्गरान् धरति = bearing a thousand maces); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• सहस्रशरपाणिकम्: with hands bearing a thousand arrows
• सहस्रशरपाणिकम्: विशेषण (of कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र + शर + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: द्विगु (सहस्र-शराः पाणौ यस्य / सहस्रशरपाणिः = having hands with a thousand arrows); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya discourse to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Rudra

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The ‘thousand-faced’ hyperbolic iconography signals the Lord’s all-pervasive sovereignty as He empowers Vīrabhadra for the destruction of the yajña.

Significance: Contemplation of the viśvarūpa-like Rudra form dissolves limited selfhood (paśu-bhāva) and reorients the soul toward Pati as the sole refuge.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It magnifies Śiva as ananta (limitless): the “thousand” faces, eyes, and weapons signify infinite awareness and infinite power, assuring the paśu (bound soul) that Pati’s grace can reach every limitation and remove bondage (pāśa).

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

The verse supports Saguna-upāsanā: meditating on Śiva’s vast, many-formed majesty steadies devotion and concentration, which culminates in Linga-worship where the formless (Nirguna) is approached through a sacred, accessible form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice dhyāna (visual meditation) on Śiva’s viśvarūpa-like greatness while repeating the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; on Mahāśivarātri, combine it with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to focused worship.