Shloka 8

दधीचाश्रमगमनम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and Dadhīca’s Fearlessness

Kṣu’s Request

Devanagari script

जाने तवैव भगवन् भक्तवत्सलतां हरे । छलं त्यज स्वरूपं हि स्वीकुरु स्मर शंकरम्

Transliteration

jāne tavaiva bhagavan bhaktavatsalatāṃ hare | chalaṃ tyaja svarūpaṃ hi svīkuru smara śaṃkaram

Translation

O Lord, O Hari, I know well Your tender love for Your devotees. Therefore abandon this disguise; truly assume Your own form and remember Śaṅkara.

Word by Word

• jāne: I know
• jāne: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद; रूपम्: जाने

• tava: of you
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; (of you)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphasis

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• bhakta-vatsalatām: affection for devotees
• bhakta-vatsalatām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक) + vatsalatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (fem.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bhaktānāṃ vatsalatā)

• hare: O Hari
• hare: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• chalam: deceit/trick
• chalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• tyaja: abandon
• tyaja: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• svarūpam: your true form
• svarūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समास: कर्मधारय (svaṃ rūpam)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — कारण/निश्चयार्थ (for/indeed)

• svīkuru: accept/adopt
• svīkuru: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: svī-kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; धातु: √kṛ with उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद svī-

• smara: remember
• smara: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śaṃkaram: Śaṅkara (Shiva)
• śaṃkaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Satī (addressing Lord Viṣṇu, calling him Hari)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: smara śaṃkaram

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Sati

FAQs

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

It highlights bhakti as the decisive spiritual power: Satī appeals to Viṣṇu’s bhakta-vātsalya and urges him to drop outer concealment and turn his mind toward Śaṅkara—showing that sincere remembrance and alignment with Pati (Shiva) overrides mere appearances.

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

By asking to ‘assume your own form’ and ‘remember Śaṅkara,’ the verse emphasizes Saguna devotion—approaching Shiva as a personal Lord who responds to love—an attitude that supports Linga-worship as a concrete focus for smaraṇa and surrender.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is smaraṇa (remembrance): silently repeat a Shiva-mantra such as the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while visualizing Śaṅkara, letting go of mental ‘disguises’ (chala) like doubt and pretense.