Shloka 46

मुक्तयतिदेहसंस्काररहस्यं — The Esoteric Rites for the Bodies of Liberated Ascetics

Devanagari script

उरः कण्डशिरोबाहुप्रकोष्ठश्रुतिषु क्रमात् । रुद्राक्षमालाभरणैरलंकुर्य्याच्च मंत्रतः

Transliteration

uraḥ kaṇḍaśirobāhuprakoṣṭhaśrutiṣu kramāt | rudrākṣamālābharaṇairalaṃkuryyācca maṃtrataḥ

Translation

In due order, one should adorn the chest, the neck, the head, the arms, the forearms, and the ears with ornaments and garlands of Rudrākṣa, doing so while reciting the prescribed mantra. Thus the devotee assumes the marks of a Śaiva and becomes fit for worship of the Lord (Pati).

Word by Word

• uraḥ: chest
• uraḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण; स्थाननिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st) एकवचन (Singular); (अत्र निर्देशार्थं—स्थानेषु)

• kaṇḍa-śiras-bāhu-prakoṣṭha-śrutiṣu: on the neck, head, arms, forearms, and ears
• kaṇḍa-śiras-bāhu-prakoṣṭha-śrutiṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + śiras (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक) + prakoṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + śruti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine; śruti-प्रधान), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural); द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative list of locations)

• kramāt: in sequence
• kramāt: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (ablatival adverb): ‘in order/step by step’

• rudrākṣa-mālā-bharaṇaiḥ: with rudrākṣa-garland ornaments
• rudrākṣa-mālā-bharaṇaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudrākṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक) + bharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter; bharaṇa-प्रधान), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष-समास (‘ornaments consisting of rudrākṣa garlands’)

• alaṃkuryāt: should adorn
• alaṃkuryāt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: alaṃ-√kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• maṃtrataḥ: with mantras / by mantra-recitation
• maṃtrataḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: maṃtratas (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb in -tas): ‘with/according to mantra’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Śaiva observances to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that Rudrākṣa is not mere decoration: when worn in the proper places and sanctified by mantra, it becomes a Śaiva sign of surrender to Shiva (Pati) and supports purity of mind, devotion, and steadiness in practice.

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

Rudrākṣa adornment prepares the devotee for Saguna Shiva worship—especially Linga-pūjā—by aligning body, speech (mantra), and intention, expressing reverence to Shiva’s manifest, grace-bestowing form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Wear Rudrākṣa malas/ornaments on the chest, neck, head, arms, forearms, and ears in order, while reciting a Śaiva mantra (commonly the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), treating the act as a consecrated observance rather than a fashion choice.