Shloka 31

कैलासमार्गे शङ्करस्य परीक्षा — Śiva Tests the Approachers on the Kailāsa Path

Devanagari script

त्वं वै सृजसि लोकांश्च रजसा विधिनामभाक् । सत्त्वेन हरिरूपस्त्वं सकलं यासि वै जगत्

Transliteration

tvaṃ vai sṛjasi lokāṃśca rajasā vidhināmabhāk | sattvena harirūpastvaṃ sakalaṃ yāsi vai jagat

Translation

Truly, through rajas You create the worlds, taking up the office of Brahmā. Through sattva You assume the form of Hari (Viṣṇu) and pervade the entire universe.

Word by Word

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (usage), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; sarvanāma (2nd person pronoun)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta-avyaya (emphatic particle)

• sṛjasi: you create
• sṛjasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛj (सृज् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (present), Madhyamapuruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• lokān: worlds
• lokān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Sam uccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

• rajasā: by/with rajas (activity)
• rajasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka/puṃliṅga usage (commonly neuter), Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• vidhinā: as Brahmā/creator (Vidhi)
• vidhinā: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• amabhāk: not partaking (of the name)
• amabhāk: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + bhāk (कृदन्त; √bhaj भज् धातु, क्विप्/ण्वुलादि ‘bhāk’ = partaker/possessor)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; nañ-samāsa-like negation prefix; ‘not having/partaking of’

• sattvena: by/with sattva (purity)
• sattvena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka (neuter), Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• hari-rūpaḥ: in the form of Hari (Viṣṇu)
• hari-rūpaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: hareḥ rūpaḥ / hari-rūpaḥ (having the form of Hari)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; pronoun

• sakalam: entire
• sakalam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; used as viśeṣaṇa of jagat

• yāsi: you pervade/go (through)
• yāsi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, Madhyamapuruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta-avyaya (emphasis)

• jagat: the world/universe
• jagat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

Speaker

A devotee/combatant praising Lord Shiva (as narrated by Suta Goswami in the Rudrasaṃhitā)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Affirms Śiva as the inner Lord (antaryāmin) behind Brahmā/Viṣṇu functions; supports non-sectarian worship of Śiva as source of all deities.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Guṇa-based cosmic administration: Śiva assumes Brahmā-function via rajas and Viṣṇu-function via sattva.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Brahma
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

The verse teaches Shiva’s supremacy as the inner Lord who performs cosmic functions by assuming forms aligned with the gunas—creation through rajas (Brahmā-role) and preservation through sattva (Viṣṇu-form)—while remaining the one Pati who governs all.

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

It supports Saguna-upāsanā: the devotee may worship Shiva in accessible forms (as the source of Brahmā and Viṣṇu), yet the Liṅga signifies that these functions arise from one transcendent reality—Shiva—who pervades the universe.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as the indwelling Lord of all functions while repeating the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), contemplating that the same Shiva appears as creator and preserver and pervades all worlds.