Shloka 8

शिवसतीविवाहोत्तरलीला — Post‑marital Līlā of Śiva and Satī

Devanagari script

ततो विरूपाक्ष इमां प्राप्य दाक्षायणीं गणान् । स्वीयानिर्यापयामास नद्यादीन् गिरिकंदरात्

Transliteration

tato virūpākṣa imāṃ prāpya dākṣāyaṇīṃ gaṇān | svīyāniryāpayāmāsa nadyādīn girikaṃdarāt

Translation

Then Vīrūpākṣa, having reached this Dakṣāyaṇī (Satī), sent forth his own gaṇas, driving them out from the mountain-caves and ravines, along with the rivers and the rest.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• virūpākṣaḥ: Virūpākṣa (the one with strange eyes)
• virūpākṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (virūpāṇi akṣīṇi yasya)

• imām: this (woman)
• imām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); “having obtained/reached”

• dākṣāyaṇīm: Dākṣāyaṇī (Satī)
• dākṣāyaṇīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dākṣāyaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेष्य (Satī)

• gaṇān: the attendants (gaṇas)
• gaṇān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• svīyān: his own
• svīyān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying gaṇān)

• niryāpayāmāsa: sent out / made depart
• niryāpayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√yā (धातु) + √ṇic (causative)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्सभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative) “caused to go out/sent out”

• nady-ādīn: rivers and the like
• nady-ādīn: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (ādi-śabda: “etc.”)

• giri-kaṃdarāt: from the mountain-cave
• giri-kaṃdarāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṃdara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Satī (Dākṣāyaṇī)
• Vīrūpākṣa
• Śiva-gaṇas

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the gaṇas acting as instruments of Śiva’s divine order: when Satī (Dakṣa’s daughter) is approached, Vīrūpākṣa mobilizes the gaṇas, symbolizing how the Lord’s śakti and attendants remove obstacles and restore sacred order in a place—an echo of Shaiva Siddhanta’s view of Pati governing the cosmos through His powers.

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

Though the Liṅga is not named here, the gaṇas represent Saguna Śiva’s accessible, active governance—His manifest presence protecting devotees and sanctifying space. In Purāṇic devotion, honoring Śiva includes reverence for His retinue (gaṇas), as part of approaching the Lord’s embodied, compassionate sovereignty.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is space-purification and obstacle-removal before worship: begin with mental surrender to Śiva (Pati), then japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and, if following Shaiva practice, apply vibhūti (Tripuṇḍra) as a reminder of Śiva’s protection and the clearing of inner impediments.