Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 13

पूजाविधान-व्याख्या (Pūjāvidhāna-vyākhyā) — Exposition of the Procedure of Worship

Devanagari script

तनुमध्यां पृथुश्रोणीं पीतसूक्ष्मवराम्बराम् । सर्वाभरणसंपन्नां ललाटतिलकोज्ज्वलाम्

Transliteration

tanumadhyāṃ pṛthuśroṇīṃ pītasūkṣmavarāmbarām | sarvābharaṇasaṃpannāṃ lalāṭatilakojjvalām

Translation

Er erblickte sie—schmal in der Taille und breit in den Hüften—gekleidet in ein feines, herrlich gelbes Gewand, mit allem Schmuck geschmückt und strahlend vom leuchtenden Tilaka auf ihrer Stirn.

Word by Word

• tanu-madhyām: slender-waisted
• tanu-madhyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular); karmadhāraya-samāsa (कर्मधारयसमास)

• pṛthu-śroṇīm: broad-hipped
• pṛthu-śroṇīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛthu (प्रातिपदिक) + śroṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya-samāsa

• pīta-sūkṣma-vara-ambarām: wearing fine, excellent yellow garments
• pīta-sūkṣma-vara-ambarām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta (प्रातिपदिक) + sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक) + vara (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुषसमास), multi-member determinative

• sarva-ābharaṇa-saṃpannām: adorned with all ornaments
• sarva-ābharaṇa-saṃpannām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + ābharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpanna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa-samāsa

• lalāṭa-tilaka-ujjvalām: bright with a forehead-tilaka
• lalāṭa-tilaka-ujjvalām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lalāṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + tilaka (प्रातिपदिक) + ujjvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa-samāsa

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Parvati

FAQs

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

The verse presents the Goddess in an auspicious, luminous form, teaching that the sacred can be approached through pure perception of Shakti—whose beauty signifies inner order, grace, and the soul’s receptivity to Shiva’s presence.

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

In Shaiva tradition, Saguna worship includes venerating Shiva along with Shakti; her tilaka, garments, and ornaments reflect consecrated qualities (maṅgala) that support devotional focus, just as the Linga provides a concrete support for meditation on the formless.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt śauca (purity) and maṅgala-lakṣaṇa in pūjā—apply an auspicious tilaka, offer clean cloth and ornaments symbolically, and meditate on the radiant presence of Shiva-Shakti while repeating the Panchakshara mantra, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”