Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 18

भद्रस्य देवसंघेषु विक्रमः

Bhadra’s Onslaught among the Deva Hosts

Devanagari script

स्वाहादेव्यास्तथा देवो दक्षिणं नासिकापुटम् । चकर्त करजाग्रेण वामं च स्तनचूचुकम्

Transliteration

svāhādevyāstathā devo dakṣiṇaṃ nāsikāpuṭam | cakarta karajāgreṇa vāmaṃ ca stanacūcukam

Translation

Dann schnitt der Herr auf dieselbe Weise Svāhādevīs rechtes Nasenloch mit der Spitze seines Fingernagels ab, und ebenso ihre linke Brustwarze.

Word by Word

• svāhā-devyāḥ: of the goddess Svāhā
• svāhā-devyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svāhā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (of the goddess Svāhā)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dakṣiṇam: right (side)
• dakṣiṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• nāsikā-puṭam: the nostril
• nāsikā-puṭam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāsikā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (nostril cavity/nostril)

• cakarta: cut/made
• cakarta: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• kara-jāgreṇa: with the tip of the nail/finger
• kara-jāgreṇa: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + jāgra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (with the tip of the hand/finger-nail)

• vāmam: left
• vāmam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• stana-cūcukam: the nipple
• stana-cūcukam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stana (प्रातिपदिक) + cūcuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (nipple/teat of the breast)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Episode belongs to Dakṣa-yajña-dhvaṃsa (destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice), illustrating Śiva’s supremacy over Vedic deities when sacrifice is divorced from devotion and humility; not a Jyotirliṅga-māhātmya passage.

Significance: Didactic tīrtha-value: warns that ritual (yajña) without Śiva-bhakti and proper reverence culminates in spiritual ‘mutilation’—loss of auspicious faculties and merit.

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Dakṣa-yajña-dhvaṃsa (ritual catastrophe as cosmic-moral correction)

Characters & Entities

• Svāhādevī
• Shiva

FAQs

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

In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Shiva as Pati is the sovereign purifier: the verse depicts a fierce, corrective intervention that symbolizes the cutting away of impurity (mala) and bondage (pāśa) when dharma is violated.

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

It reflects Saguna Shiva—Shiva with attributes—who actively protects cosmic order. Linga-worship honors the same Lord as the inner ruler who removes defilements; this episode highlights his role as the authoritative purifier and guardian.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is disciplined self-restraint (saṃyama) and repentance, supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and traditional Shaiva purificatory observances such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, undertaken with humility.