Shloka 16

हिमवतः सुमङ्गलोत्सव-नगररचना

Himavān’s Auspicious Festival Preparations and City Adornment

Devanagari script

रथा रथिभिराकृष्टा महाश्चर्यसमन्विताः । वाहनानि तथान्यानि पत्तयः कृत्रिमास्तथा

Transliteration

rathā rathibhirākṛṣṭā mahāścaryasamanvitāḥ | vāhanāni tathānyāni pattayaḥ kṛtrimāstathā

Translation

Chariots—drawn along by charioteers and filled with great marvels—were seen there; and likewise other conveyances too, along with foot-soldiers, many of them ingeniously fashioned as artificial contrivances.

Word by Word

• rathāḥ: chariots
• rathāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• rathibhiḥ: by charioteers
• rathibhiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rathin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ā-kṛṣṭāḥ: drawn/pulled
• ā-kṛṣṭāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√kṛṣ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मणि-भाव (passive sense)

• mahā-āścarya-samanvitāḥ: endowed with great wonder
• mahā-āścarya-samanvitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + āścarya (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (determinative; ‘with great wonder’), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• vāhanāni: vehicles
• vāhanāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connecting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अव्यय-प्रकार: अव्यय/समुच्चयार्थ-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb/conjunctive ‘also/likewise’)

• anyāni: other
• anyāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• pattayaḥ: foot-soldiers/infantry
• pattayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṛtrimāḥ: artificial
• kṛtrimāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtrima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connecting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अव्यय-प्रकार: अव्यय/समुच्चयार्थ-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb ‘also/likewise’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the awe-inspiring, ordered majesty surrounding the divine narrative—suggesting that when Śiva’s grace and Pārvatī’s sacred destiny unfold, even the outer world reflects wonder, discipline, and purposeful movement.

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

By portraying tangible, wondrous forms (chariots, vehicles, forces), it aligns with Saguna devotion—where the devotee approaches Śiva through perceivable symbols and sacred imagery, which ultimately lead the mind toward the higher, transcendent reality beyond form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to steady the mind through Saguna upāsanā—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while visualizing Śiva’s divine presence—using form and sacred narrative to gather attention and deepen bhakti.