Shloka 47

शिवध्यानपूजनवर्णनम्

Description of Śiva Meditation and Worship

Devanagari script

नमस्कारं च कुर्वीत बध्वा मुद्राः पृथक्पृथक् । ध्यायेत्सदाशिवं साक्षाद्देवं सकलनिष्कलम्

Transliteration

namaskāraṃ ca kurvīta badhvā mudrāḥ pṛthakpṛthak | dhyāyetsadāśivaṃ sākṣāddevaṃ sakalaniṣkalam

Translation

Having formed the various mudrās one by one, one should offer reverent salutations (namaskāra) and meditate directly upon Sadāśiva—the Divine Lord who is both with form (sakala) and beyond all form (niṣkala).

Word by Word

• namaskāram: salutation
• namaskāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namaskāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय-अव्यय)

• kurvīta: should do/perform
• kurvīta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Optative/benedictive sense (विधिलिङ्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• badhvā: having formed
• badhvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: badhvā (कृदन्त; √bandh बन्धने)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा): ‘having bound/formed’

• mudrāḥ: hand-gestures (mudrās)
• mudrāḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mudrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन) (object of badhvā)

• pṛthak: separately
• pṛthak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• pṛthak: each separately
• pṛthak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (repetition for emphasis)

• dhyāyet: should meditate
• dhyāyet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• sadāśivam: Sadāśiva
• sadāśivam: Karma (कर्म) (object of dhyāyet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadāśiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); Karmadhāraya: sadā+śiva ‘ever-auspicious (Sadāśiva)’

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/particle (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय): ‘directly, manifestly’

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (कर्म) (apposition to sadāśivam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sakalaniṣkalam: both with form and formless
• sakalaniṣkalam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘devam/sadāśivam’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala+niṣkala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); Dvandva (itaretara): sakala ‘with parts/manifest’ + niṣkala ‘partless/unmanifest’ used as epithet

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s worship-method as taught in the Kailasha Samhita context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Sadashiva

FAQs

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

It unites outer devotion (namaskāra and mudrā) with inner realization (dhyāna), directing the seeker to Sadāśiva who is simultaneously accessible as a worshipful Lord and transcendent as the formless Absolute—guiding practice toward liberation (mokṣa).

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

By affirming Sadāśiva as sakala-niṣkala, the verse supports Linga worship as a bridge: the Linga serves as a tangible focus (sakala) while the meditator contemplates Shiva’s formless reality (niṣkala) beyond all limiting attributes.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform the prescribed mudrās in sequence, offer respectful prostration/salutation, and then enter meditation on Sadāśiva as immediately present—holding together devotion and contemplative absorption (dhyāna).