Shloka 8

दक्षस्य तपः तथा जगदम्बायाः प्रत्यक्षता — Dakṣa’s Austerities and the Direct Manifestation of Jagadambā

Devanagari script

दुर्गाध्यानसमासक्तश्चिरं कालं तपोरतः । नियमैर्बहुभिर्देवीमाराधयति सुव्रतः

Transliteration

durgādhyānasamāsaktaściraṃ kālaṃ taporataḥ | niyamairbahubhirdevīmārādhayati suvrataḥ

Translation

Absorbed in meditation on Durgā, devoted to austerity for a long time, and steadfast in sacred vows, she worshipped the Goddess through many disciplines and observances.

Word by Word

• दुर्गाध्यानसमासक्तः: absorbed in meditation on Durgā
• दुर्गाध्यानसमासक्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + समासक्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दुर्गायाः ध्यानम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; तस्मिन् समासक्तः इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-भाव), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सुव्रतः’ इति विशेषण

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cira (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावप्रयोग)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• कालम्: time (duration)
• कालम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (अत्यन्तसंयोगे कालाधिकरणार्थ), एकवचन

• तपोरतः: engaged in austerity
• तपोरतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + rata (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: तपसि रतः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सुव्रतः’ इति विशेषण

• नियमैः: with observances, disciplines
• नियमैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• बहुभिः: many
• बहुभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘नियमैः’ इति विशेषण

• देवीम्: the Goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• आराधयति: worships, propitiates
• आराधयति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + √rādh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सुव्रतः: the man of good vows
• सुव्रतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सु-व्रतः = शोभनं व्रतं यस्य/शोभनव्रतः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Durgā

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Durgā
• Devī (Goddess)

FAQs

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

It highlights that spiritual attainment is supported by sustained tapas, disciplined niyamas, and single-pointed meditation—purifying the seeker’s nature so devotion becomes steady and transformative.

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

In the Shiva Purana’s devotional framework, focused worship of the Divine in a manifest form (saguṇa)—here as Devī Durgā—models the same principle used in liṅga-upāsanā: concentration, vows, and regulated practice that mature into inner realization.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Dhyāna (formal meditation) supported by vrata and niyama—regular observances such as purity, fasting, japa, and disciplined worship; the verse emphasizes consistency over time rather than a single act.