Shloka 15

शिवागमन-नाद-समागमः (Śiva’s Advent, the Drum-Sound, and the Cosmic Assembly)

Devanagari script

विष्टंभोऽष्टाभिरगमदष्टभिश्चन्द्रतापनः

Transliteration

viṣṭaṃbho'ṣṭābhiragamadaṣṭabhiścandratāpanaḥ

Translation

Viṣṭambha proceeded with eight (powers/parts), and Candratāpana likewise with eight—thus they move according to the measures appointed within the order of creation.

Word by Word

• विष्टम्भः: Viṣṭambha (name)
• विष्टम्भः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्टम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• अष्टाभिः: with eight (by eight)
• अष्टाभिः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• अगमत्: went/advanced
• अगमत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अष्टभिः: with eight (by eight)
• अष्टभिः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• चन्द्रतापनः: Candratāpana (name; ‘moon-heater’)
• चन्द्रतापनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तापन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चन्द्रस्य तापनः) नाम

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudra Saṃhitā creation account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Ishana

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: transition from mere emanation-listing to functional cosmic support (viṣṭambha = ‘prop/support’) within the created order

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It points to the ordered unfolding of creation in measured divisions, implying that the cosmos operates under Shiva (Pati) as the supreme regulator, while created principles function within fixed limits.

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

The Linga symbolizes Shiva as the stable support (ādhāra) of all manifest categories; the verse’s emphasis on sustaining/order echoes Saguna Shiva’s role as the governor of cosmic functions while remaining transcendent.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as the inner support of the eightfold structure of life (e.g., directions/elements or functional divisions), while chanting the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to align the mind with cosmic order.