Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 14

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

Devanagari script

विचित्रपुष्पसंकीर्णकेशपाशोपशोभिताम् । सर्वतो ऽनुगुणाकारां किंचिल्लज्जानताननाम्

Transliteration

vicitrapuṣpasaṃkīrṇakeśapāśopaśobhitām | sarvato 'nuguṇākārāṃ kiṃcillajjānatānanām

Translation

Ihr Haar war mit Büscheln vielfarbiger Blumen geschmückt. In jeder Hinsicht war ihre Gestalt vollkommen wohlproportioniert und harmonisch, und ihr Antlitz war leicht gesenkt, sanft geneigt aus Schamhaftigkeit.

Word by Word

• vicitra-puṣpa-saṃkīrṇa-keśa-pāśa-upaśobhitām: adorned with hair-tresses strewn with various flowers
• vicitra-puṣpa-saṃkīrṇa-keśa-pāśa-upaśobhitām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vicitra (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkīrṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + keśa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāśa (प्रातिपदिक) + upaśobhita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa-samāsa, multi-member; upaśobhita = past passive participle used adjectivally

• sarvataḥ: on all sides / in every way
• sarvataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• anuguṇa-ākārām: having a well-proportioned form
• anuguṇa-ākārām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuguṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya-samāsa

• kiṃcit: a little / somewhat
• kiṃcit: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण-कार्य)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, indeclinable quantifier/adverb (परिमाण/अल्पार्थक)

• lajjā-nata-ānanām: with a face slightly lowered in modesty
• lajjā-nata-ānanām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lajjā (प्रातिपदिक) + nata (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa-samāsa

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Umā

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Parvati

FAQs

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

The verse presents sacred darśana of the Goddess in a saguṇa form—beauty, harmony, and modesty become devotional gateways, refining the mind toward purity (śuddhi) and reverence for Shiva–Shakti as Pati and His inseparable Śakti.

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

In Shaiva practice, worship moves between the formless (Liṅga as transcendent sign) and the formed (Shiva–Shakti’s manifest qualities). This description supports saguṇa-upāsanā: contemplating divine attributes to steady bhakti, which then matures into insight into the Liṅga’s nirguṇa truth.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A simple takeaway is dhyāna (meditative visualization) on the auspicious, modest, and harmonious form of the Goddess while repeating the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivating inner modesty, steadiness, and devotion.