Shloka 34

घनागमवर्णनम् / Description of the Monsoon’s Onset

Satī’s Address to Śiva

Devanagari script

विचित्रैः कोकिलालापमोदैः कुंजगणावृतम् । सदा वसंतप्रभवं गंतुमिच्छसि किं प्रिये

Transliteration

vicitraiḥ kokilālāpamodaiḥ kuṃjagaṇāvṛtam | sadā vasaṃtaprabhavaṃ gaṃtumicchasi kiṃ priye

Translation

Beloved, do you wish to go to that grove, ever born of spring—encircled by clusters of bowers and made delightful by the varied, sweet calls of the cuckoos?

Word by Word

• विचित्रैः: with/ by various (wonderful)
• विचित्रैः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• कोकिला-आलाप-मोदैः: with the delights of cuckoo-songs
• कोकिला-आलाप-मोदैः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोकिला (प्रातिपदिक) + आलाप (प्रातिपदिक) + मोद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कोकिलानाम् आलापः) + तत्पुरुष (आलापस्य मोदः)

• कुञ्ज-गण-आवृतम्: covered with clusters of groves
• कुञ्ज-गण-आवृतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुञ्ज (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक) + आवृत (कृदन्त; √वृ (वरणे) + आ- उपसर्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; Past passive participle (क्त) ‘covered’; तत्पुरुष (कुञ्जानां गणः) + तत्पुरुष (गणेन आवृतम्)

• सदा: always
• सदा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; adverb of time

• वसन्त-प्रभवम्: spring-born / arising from spring
• वसन्त-प्रभवम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वसन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; Accusative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वसन्तस्य प्रभवः)

• गन्तुम्: to go
• गन्तुम्: प्रयोजन (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (Infinitive/तुमुन्), अव्ययवत्; ‘to go’

• इच्छसि: you wish
• इच्छसि: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्/इच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present indicative 2nd sg

• किम्: why?/what?
• किम्: प्रश्न (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; interrogative pronoun used adverbially (‘why?’)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: सम्बोधन (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन; Vocative singular

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha

Sthala Purana: Himālaya’s sacred groves and Śiva’s Himalayan play (līlā) are evoked; Kedāra is classically tied to Śiva’s Himalayan presence and later Purāṇic/Itihāsa accounts of His concealment and revelation in the mountains.

Significance: Darśana in the Himalayan kṣetra is held to purify and dispose the mind toward Śiva’s grace; the mountain setting symbolizes withdrawal from worldly bonds and approach to the Lord.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Sati

FAQs

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

The verse uses the imagery of an ever-spring grove to indicate a sattvic, uplifted inner state where the mind becomes gentle, joyful, and receptive to Shiva’s presence—beauty serving as a doorway to devotion rather than mere sense-enjoyment.

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

In the Sati Khanda, Shiva appears as Saguna—speaking tenderly and guiding Sati. Such narratives prepare the heart for Linga-worship by refining devotion (bhakti) and cultivating a sacred mood in which the devotee approaches Shiva as both immanent and transcendent.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is contemplative japa of the Panchakshara ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") in a calm, pure place (a ‘grove-like’ setting), letting the mind become steady and devotional; this supports inner purity that Shaiva tradition associates with fruitful worship.