Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 5

भद्रस्य दिव्यरथारोहणं शङ्खनादश्च — Bhadra’s Divine Chariot-Ascent and the Conch-Blast

Devanagari script

भगवन्भद्र भद्रांग भगवानिन्दुभूषणः । आज्ञापयति वीरस्त्वां रथमारोढुमव्ययः

Transliteration

bhagavanbhadra bhadrāṃga bhagavānindubhūṣaṇaḥ | ājñāpayati vīrastvāṃ rathamāroḍhumavyayaḥ

Translation

O Gesegneter—o Held mit glückverheißenden Gliedern—der verehrungswürdige Herr, der Mondbekränzte (Śiva), der Unvergängliche, gebietet dir, den Wagen zu besteigen.

Word by Word

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhadra: O auspicious one
• bhadra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); used as epithet

• bhadra-aṅga: O fair-limbed one
• bhadra-aṅga: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhadra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘auspicious-limbed’

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• indu-bhūṣaṇaḥ: (he) whose ornament is the moon
• indu-bhūṣaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘moon-ornamented/whose ornament is the moon’ (epithet)

• ājñāpayati: commands/orders
• ājñāpayati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ājñāpay (धातु; causative of √jñā)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• vīraḥ: the hero
• vīraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to bhagavān

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक; pronoun)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ratham: chariot
• ratham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• āroḍhum: to mount
• āroḍhum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√ruh (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्/तुमर्थ), ‘to mount/ascend’

• avyayaḥ: the imperishable one
• avyayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); epithet of the subject

Speaker

A divine messenger/attendant addressing a valorous being on Lord Shiva’s command (as narrated in the Vayu Samhita discourse)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Śiva is invoked by epithet Indubhūṣaṇa (moon-crested) and as Avyaya (imperishable), issuing ājñā. The command-to-mount motif frames grace as empowerment: the Lord authorizes and elevates the recipient into a divinely sanctioned role.

Significance: Hearing/reciting Śiva’s ājñā as Indubhūṣaṇa is believed to confer steadiness (dhairya) and auspiciousness (bhadra), aligning personal action with dharma and divine will.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse highlights Śiva as the imperishable Pati whose command directs the devotee’s action; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such obedience (śaraṇāgati and sevā) becomes a channel for Śiva’s grace that loosens pāśa (bondage).

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

By naming Śiva as Indubhūṣaṇa (Moon-crested), the verse points to Saguna Śiva—worshipped through form, name, and symbols (including the Liṅga)—where devotion expresses itself as readiness to act according to the Lord’s will.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is disciplined readiness and surrender: begin actions after japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and mentally offer the act to Śiva, cultivating the attitude that one moves only by the Lord’s ājñā.