Shloka 26

स्वप्नवर्णनपूर्वकं संक्षेपशिवचरितवर्णनम् / Dream-Portents and a Concise Account of Śiva’s Career

Devanagari script

निधाय हृदि तं कामं सिषेवे भक्तितश्च सा । इति दृष्टं मया स्वप्नं प्रोक्तवांस्ते वरानने

Transliteration

nidhāya hṛdi taṃ kāmaṃ siṣeve bhaktitaśca sā | iti dṛṣṭaṃ mayā svapnaṃ proktavāṃste varānane

Translation

Placing that longing within her heart, she devotedly served and worshiped with bhakti. “Thus, O fair-faced one, I have told you the dream that I myself beheld.”

Word by Word

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having placed’

• हृदि: in (the) heart
• हृदि: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तम्: that
• तम्: विशेषण (of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of कामम्

• कामम्: desire/love
• कामम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सिषेवे: served/practised
• सिषेवे: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘served/practised’

• भक्तितः: from devotion/devoutly
• भक्तितः: हेतु (Hetu/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th) एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (adverbial: ‘out of devotion’)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय अव्यय (conjunction)

• सा: she
• सा: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्यचिह्न (quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• दृष्टम्: seen
• दृष्टम्: विधेय (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as predicate ‘seen’

• मया: by me
• मया: करण (agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन

• स्वप्नम्: dream
• स्वप्नम्: कर्म (Object of ‘seen’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तवान्: told/declared
• प्रोक्तवान्: कर्ता (speaker)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having told’

• ते: to you
• ते: सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी विभक्ति (Dative/4th) एकवचन (enclitic form)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (वरं आननं यस्याः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative/ संबोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

A narrator within the Parvati Khanda (speaking to Parvati, addressed as varānane), as framed in Suta Goswami’s narration to the sages

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: liberating

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It emphasizes that inner orientation—placing one’s longing in the heart and serving with bhakti—purifies desire into a Godward yearning, aligning the soul (paśu) toward Shiva (Pati) rather than toward binding attachments (pāśa).

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

The verse highlights devoted service as the core of Saguna Shiva worship: the mind and heart are fixed on Shiva, and devotion becomes the living ‘offering’ that supports external worship such as Linga-pūjā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A simple takeaway is heart-centered japa with devotion—especially the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—performed with steady remembrance, as an inner form of service (sevā) accompanying any outer pūjā.