Shloka 8

गृहस्थ-जीवनसंस्काराः तथा पुत्रजन्म-शुभलक्षणवर्णनम् / Household Saṃskāras and the Auspicious Portents of a Son’s Birth

Devanagari script

शर्वस्समस्तसुखदो भूर्भुवः स्वर्न्निवासिनाम् । गन्धवाहनवाहाश्च दिग्वधूर्मुखवाससः

Transliteration

śarvassamastasukhado bhūrbhuvaḥ svarnnivāsinām | gandhavāhanavāhāśca digvadhūrmukhavāsasaḥ

Translation

Śarva (Lord Śiva) bestows all happiness upon the dwellers of Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ, and Svar. He is borne by the Wind as His vehicle, and the very faces of the Directions are His raiment—revealing Him as the all-pervading Lord (Pati) who supports and transcends the worlds.

Word by Word

• śarvaḥ: Śarva (Śiva)
• śarvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; शिवस्य नाम

• samasta-sukha-daḥ: giver of all happiness
• samasta-sukha-daḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक) + sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘दा’ धातोः कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘द’ (giver)

• bhūḥ: Earth
• bhūḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पृथ्वी’

• bhuvaḥ: Bhuvar (mid-region)
• bhuvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuvas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अन्तरिक्ष/भुवर्लोक’

• svaḥ: Svarga (heaven)
• svaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svar (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्वर्ग’

• nivāsinām: of the dwellers (inhabitants)
• nivāsinām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘निवासिन्’ = निवासी

• gandha-vāhana-vāhāḥ: carriers of the fragrance-bearing (wind)
• gandha-vāhana-vāhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक) + vāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘गन्धस्य वाहनं’ (wind) तस्य ‘वाह’ = वहनकर्ता

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• dik-vadhūḥ: the direction-bride (the quarters as brides)
• dik-vadhūḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dik (प्रातिपदिक) + vadhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘दिक् एव वधूः’ (the quarters as brides)

• mukha-vāsasaḥ: those whose dwelling/garment is the face (i.e., face-clad)
• mukha-vāsasaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘मुखस्य वासः/वसनम्’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the forms and cosmic pervasiveness of Shiva to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents Shiva as the all-pervading Pati who grants well-being to beings in all three worlds, encouraging devotion that sees the cosmos itself as sustained by Him.

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

By describing Shiva’s cosmic pervasiveness—wind as His bearer and directions as His garment—it supports Saguna contemplation: the Linga becomes the focused symbol through which devotees worship the boundless Lord present everywhere.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A simple Shaiva practice is to chant the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while meditating that the three worlds, the wind, and the directions are pervaded by Shiva—cultivating reverence, surrender, and inner steadiness.