Shloka 32

दधीचाश्रमगमनम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and Dadhīca’s Fearlessness

Kṣu’s Request

Devanagari script

तस्य देहे हरेः साक्षादपश्यद्द्विजसत्तमः । दधीचो देवतादीनां जीवानां च सहस्रकम्

Transliteration

tasya dehe hareḥ sākṣādapaśyaddvijasattamaḥ | dadhīco devatādīnāṃ jīvānāṃ ca sahasrakam

Translation

Within Hari’s very body, Dadhīci—the foremost of brāhmaṇas—directly beheld Hari Himself, and also a thousand living beings, beginning with the gods.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him / his
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/Neuter), षष्ठी (Genitive, 6th case), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• dehe: in the body
• dehe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative, 7th case), एकवचन (Singular)

• hareḥ: of Hari
• hareḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive, 6th case), एकवचन (Singular)

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — प्रत्यक्षतया (directly/manifestly)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) with apa- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद; उपसर्गयुक्त: अप + पश्य (√dṛś)

• dvija-sattamaḥ: the best of the twice-born (sage)
• dvija-sattamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st case), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः: द्विजानां सत्तमः (best among the twice-born)

• dadhīcaḥ: Dadhīca
• dadhīcaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhīca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st case), एकवचन (Singular); (पाठभेदे ‘दधीचो’ इति प्रथमा एकवचन)

• devatā-ādīnām: of gods and others
• devatā-ādīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine) ‘devatā’, षष्ठी (Genitive, 6th case), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः: देवताः आदयः येषां (of the gods and others)

• jīvānām: of living beings
• jīvānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive, 6th case), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• sahasrakam: a thousand (multitude)
• sahasrakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd case), एकवचन (Singular); संख्यावाचक-समूहवाचक (a thousand/a set of a thousand)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Characters & Entities

• Dadhichi
• Hari (Vishnu)
• Devas

FAQs

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

The verse highlights inner divine vision: a realized sage perceives the Lord directly within embodied existence, along with countless jīvas. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, this underscores that the world and souls are pervaded by divine presence, while final freedom comes by Śiva’s grace as Pati, who releases the soul from pāśa (bondage).

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

Liṅga worship trains the mind to recognize the Lord’s presence everywhere—externally in the sacred symbol and internally in one’s own being. This verse supports Saguna-upāsanā (devotional contemplation of manifest divinity) as a doorway to deeper realization, culminating in Śiva’s liberating grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on the indwelling Lord while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and maintain Shaiva disciplines such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrākṣa as reminders of purity, detachment, and constant remembrance.