Shloka 44

संध्याचरित्रवर्णनम् (Sandhyā-caritra-varṇana) — “Account of Sandhyā’s Story”

Devanagari script

तत्र देवसरः पूर्णं गुणैर्मानससंमितम् । ददर्श स वसिष्टोथ संध्यां तत्तीरगामपि

Transliteration

tatra devasaraḥ pūrṇaṃ guṇairmānasasaṃmitam | dadarśa sa vasiṣṭotha saṃdhyāṃ tattīragāmapi

Translation

There he beheld a divine lake, complete in auspicious qualities and comparable to the sacred Mānasa lake. Then Vasiṣṭha also saw Sandhyā, the goddess of twilight, moving along its bank.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha/Adhikarana (देश/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• देवसरः: the divine lake
• देवसरः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘देवानां सरः’ (divine lake)

• पूर्णम्: full
• पूर्णम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to सरः)

• गुणैः: with qualities
• गुणैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental: ‘with/by qualities’)

• मानससंमितम्: comparable to (Lake) Mānas
• मानससंमितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस + संमित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘मानसेन संमितम्’ (comparable to Mānas[a] lake / measured by Mānas)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वसिष्ठः: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/now)

• संध्याम्: Sandhyā (twilight goddess)
• संध्याम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (qualifying ‘तीरगाम्’)

• तीरगाम्: going to the bank (shore-going)
• तीरगाम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (one who goes to the bank/shore)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse introduces a sacred landscape (divine lake likened to Mānasa) as a tīrtha-setting; no explicit Jyotirliṅga identification is made here.

Significance: Tīrtha-darśana at Sandhyā time is implied to purify mind and senses, preparing for higher Śiva-upāsanā.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Tārā

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Sandhyā

FAQs

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

It highlights how a sādhaka encounters sattvic, divinely charged environments—symbolized by a Mānasa-like lake—where the mind becomes fit for Shiva-oriented contemplation, and where Sandhyā-kāla supports disciplined worship.

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

By emphasizing sacred setting and sacred time (Sandhyā), the verse points to the practical framework for Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Shiva through orderly rites, purity, and focused mind, which culminate in steadiness of devotion toward the Linga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Sandhyā-kāla practice: perform Sandhyā-vandana or quiet japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) at twilight, ideally near clean water, cultivating inner purity and one-pointedness.