Shloka 8

काली-परिचयः / Himagiri Presents Kālī (Pārvatī) to Śiva

Devanagari script

मृणालायतपर्य्यन्तबाहुयुग्ममनोहराम् । राजीवकुड्मलप्रख्यौ घनपीनौदृढौस्तनौ

Transliteration

mṛṇālāyataparyyantabāhuyugmamanoharām | rājīvakuḍmalaprakhyau ghanapīnaudṛḍhaustanau

Translation

Her charming pair of arms extended down to her knees like tender lotus-stalks. Her breasts were like lotus-buds—full, firm, and well-rounded—revealing the auspicious perfection of the Divine Mother’s embodied form.

Word by Word

• मृणाल-आयत-पर्यन्त-बाहु-युग्म-मनोहराम्: lovely (woman) with a pair of arms extending up to the length of lotus-stalks
• मृणाल-आयत-पर्यन्त-बाहु-युग्म-मनोहराम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृणाल (प्रातिपदिक) + आयत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक) + युग्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (fem. acc. sg., qualifying a feminine object)

• राजीव-कुड्मल-प्रख्यौ: resembling lotus-buds
• राजीव-कुड्मल-प्रख्यौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजीव (प्रातिपदिक) + कुड्मल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (masc. nom. dual, qualifying स्तनौ)

• घन-पीन-उदृढौ: dense, full, and very firm
• घन-पीन-उदृढौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घन (प्रातिपदिक) + पीन (प्रातिपदिक) + उदृढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (masc. nom. dual, qualifying स्तनौ)

• स्तनौ: the two breasts
• स्तनौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (masc. nom. dual)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: creative

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Parvati

FAQs

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

It portrays Parvati as Saguna Shakti—divine grace made visible—whose auspicious marks indicate completeness, fertility of compassion, and the Mother’s power to uplift the bound soul (paśu) toward Shiva (Pati).

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

In Shaiva tradition, Linga worship is inseparable from Shakti: Parvati’s described beauty signifies the manifest, approachable dimension of the same Supreme Reality, supporting devotion to Shiva’s Saguna presence while pointing toward the transcendent.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use this as dhyāna (visual contemplation) of the Divine Mother alongside Shiva—mentally offering reverence while repeating the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating purity and steady bhakti.