Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 46

अवभृथस्नान-तीर्थयात्रा-तेजोदर्शनम् | Avabhṛtha Bath, Tīrtha-Pilgrimage, and the Vision of Divine Radiance

Devanagari script

स एवं व्याहृतो भूयस्सर्वभूतगणाग्रणीः । यत्पराज्ञापनं मूर्ध्ना प्रातः प्रतिगृहीतवान्

Transliteration

sa evaṃ vyāhṛto bhūyassarvabhūtagaṇāgraṇīḥ | yatparājñāpanaṃ mūrdhnā prātaḥ pratigṛhītavān

Translation

So erneut angesprochen, nahm der Anführer aller Scharen der Wesen im Morgengrauen jenen höchsten Befehl an und neigte ehrfürchtig das Haupt zum Zeichen der Zustimmung.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; pronoun

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (prakāra)

• vyāhṛtaḥ: having been addressed
• vyāhṛtaḥ: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘having been addressed/spoken to’

• bhūyas: again / further
• bhūyas: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb ‘again/further’ (punar-artha)

• sarva-bhūta-gaṇa-agraṇīḥ: the leader of the hosts of all beings
• sarva-bhūta-gaṇa-agraṇīḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + agraṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa chain ‘leader (agraṇī) of the hosts (gaṇa) of all beings’

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; relative pronoun referring to parājñāpanam

• parājñāpanam: the command / instruction
• parājñāpanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parā-ājñāpana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; object of pratigṛhītavān; ‘command/order’

• mūrdhnā: with his head (in reverence)
• mūrdhnā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana; instrumental; idiom ‘with (on) the head’ = with reverence

• prātaḥ: in the morning
• prātaḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (temporal adverb)

• pratigṛhītavān: accepted / received
• pratigṛhītavān: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√grah (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past active participle (क्तवतु/क्तवत्), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; finite sense ‘accepted/received’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

FAQs

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

It highlights the Shaiva virtue of śaraṇāgati (surrender): the right response to divine instruction is humble acceptance, shown by bowing the head and aligning one’s will with Pati (Lord Shiva).

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

In Saguna Shiva worship, devotion is expressed not only through offerings to the Liṅga but also through obedience to Shiva’s ājñā—treating his command as sacred and binding, just like ritual injunctions.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The emphasis on “at dawn” supports prātaḥ-kāla sādhanā: begin the day with Shiva remembrance—bhasma/tripuṇḍra, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and a mindful resolve to follow dharma as the Lord’s command.