Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 56

पाशुपतज्ञानप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Pāśupata Knowledge

Paśu–Pāśa–Paśupati

Devanagari script

तदंतरे हैमवती देवी दिव्यविभूषणा । आविरासीन्नभोरंगे शोभमाना शुचिस्मिता

Transliteration

tadaṃtare haimavatī devī divyavibhūṣaṇā | āvirāsīnnabhoraṃge śobhamānā śucismitā

Translation

Unterdessen erschien die Göttin Haimavatī (Pārvatī), geschmückt mit himmlischen Zierden, im weiten Raum des Himmels — strahlend an Schönheit, mit einem reinen, heiteren Lächeln.

Word by Word

• tat-antare: in the meantime
• tat-antare: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण/Temporal locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound used adverbially; Locative singular sense ‘in the meantime/within that interval’

• haimavatī: Haimavatī (Pārvatī)
• haimavatī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haimavatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; proper epithet ‘daughter of Himavat’

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• divya-vibhūṣaṇā: adorned with divine ornaments
• divya-vibhūṣaṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (‘with divine ornaments/adornments’) used as predicate/attribute to devī

• āvirāsīt: appeared
• āvirāsīt: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√bhū (धातु)
• Form: Luṅ (लुङ्, aorist), 3rd person, Singular; ‘appeared/became manifest’

• nabhaḥ-aṅge: in the sky-region
• nabhaḥ-aṅge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; तत्पुरुष (‘in the expanse/region of the sky’)

• śobhamānā: shining
• śobhamānā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Descriptive participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √śubh (धातु)
• Form: Present middle participle (शानच्), Feminine, Nominative, Singular; ‘shining/looking splendid’

• śuci-smitā: with a pure smile
• śuci-smitā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक) + smita (प्रातिपदिक; from √smi धातु)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; कर्मधारय (‘pure/bright-smiling’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Parvati

FAQs

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

It highlights Śakti’s gracious self-manifestation: the divine Mother appears in a luminous, auspicious form, indicating that divine presence is not merely abstract (nirguṇa) but also compassionately accessible in form (saguṇa) for the uplift of devotees.

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

In Shaiva Siddhanta, Shiva (Pati) is realized together with Śakti as His power of revelation and grace. The verse supports saguṇa worship—seeing divine beauty and auspiciousness as a doorway that steadies the mind for deeper contemplation of Shiva, including Linga-upāsanā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A simple takeaway is dhyāna on the auspicious form of Shiva-Shakti with japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivating śuddha-smita—inner purity and serenity—before commencing pūjā or Linga worship.