Shloka 53

सतीचरिते पितृगृहे आशीर्वाद-वचनम् तथा यौवनारम्भः — Satī at her father’s house: blessings and the onset of youth

Devanagari script

नमो गुणारणिच्छन्न चिदूष्माय महेश्वर । मूढदुष्प्राप्तरूपाय ज्ञानिहृद्वासिने सदा

Transliteration

namo guṇāraṇicchanna cidūṣmāya maheśvara | mūḍhaduṣprāptarūpāya jñānihṛdvāsine sadā

Translation

Salutations to Mahādeva, Maheśvara—whose blazing Consciousness is veiled by the kindling-sticks of the guṇas; whose true form is hard for the deluded to attain; and who ever dwells in the heart of the wise.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), नमस्कारार्थ-निपात (salutatory particle), प्रायः चतुर्थी-अर्थे प्रयोगः (used with dative)

• guṇa-aṇi-channaḥ: covered/veiled by the subtle thread of guṇas
• guṇa-aṇi-channaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + √chad (धातु) → channa (कृदन्त)
• Form: बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत्; channa = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• cid-uṣ्मāya: to the heat/glow of consciousness
• cid-uṣ्मāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cit (प्रातिपदिक) + uṣ्मā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-समासान्त-प्रातिपदिक; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• maheśvara: O Mahēśvara
• maheśvara: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• mūḍha-duṣprāpta-rūpāya: to (you) whose form is hard for the deluded to attain
• mūḍha-duṣprāpta-rūpāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक) + duṣprāpta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dative/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; विशेषण-समासः (qualifying epithet)

• jñāni-hṛd-vāsine: to the dweller in the hearts of the wise
• jñāni-hṛd-vāsine: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñānin (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛd (प्रातिपदिक) + √vas (धातु) → vāsin (कृदन्त)
• Form: vāsin = णिनि/शतृ-प्राय कृत्प्रत्ययान्त-प्रातिपदिक (agent noun ‘dweller’); पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dative), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the hymn within the Satī-khaṇḍa context to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that Shiva’s luminous Consciousness is obscured for bound souls by the three guṇas, yet the same Lord is directly realized by the jñāni within the heart—pointing to liberation through inner realization of Pati beyond māyā.

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

Linga-worship provides a saguna support for devotion and concentration, helping the seeker transcend guṇa-bound perception; through such worship, the ‘hard-to-attain’ reality becomes accessible and is ultimately known as the indwelling Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as the inner light (cit-ūṣmā) beyond sattva-rajas-tamas while repeating the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; support the practice with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steady bhakti and remembrance.