Shloka 45

Devanagari script

भाले लोचनमालोक्य कण्ठे कालं वृषध्वजम् । वामाङ्गसन्निविष्टाद्रितनयं चन्द्रशेखरम्

Transliteration

bhāle locanamālokya kaṇṭhe kālaṃ vṛṣadhvajam | vāmāṅgasanniviṣṭādritanayaṃ candraśekharam

Translation

Beholding the Eye upon His forehead, the dark-blue mark upon His throat, the Bull-bannered Lord, and Him whose left side is occupied by the Mountain’s Daughter—Śiva, the Moon-crested One—they recognized the Supreme Lord in His gracious, manifest (saguṇa) form.

Word by Word

• भाले: on the forehead
• भाले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• लोचनम्: an eye
• लोचनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• आलोक्य: having seen
• आलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव

• कण्ठे: on the neck
• कण्ठे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• कालम्: darkness/blackness (the dark mark)
• कालम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• वृषध्वजम्: the one whose banner is the bull
• वृषध्वजम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition to Śiva)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; शिवस्य नाम (epithet)

• वामाङ्गसन्निविष्टाद्रितनयम्: he with the mountain’s daughter seated on his left side
• वामाङ्गसन्निविष्टाद्रितनयम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाम + अङ्ग + सन्निविष्ट + अद्रि + तनय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘(he) in whose left side is seated the mountain’s daughter’ (epithet)

• चन्द्रशेखरम्: moon-crested (Śiva)
• चन्द्रशेखरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + शेखर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; शिवस्य नाम (epithet)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Ardhanarishvara

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati
• Nandi

FAQs

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

The verse points to recognizing Pati (Śiva) through His compassionate, perceivable marks—third eye (jñāna and dissolution of ignorance), blue throat (saving the worlds), and the inseparable presence of Śakti (Pārvatī). In Shaiva Siddhanta, such saguṇa contemplation purifies the soul (paśu) and loosens bondage (pāśa), preparing it for Śiva’s grace.

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

It supports saguṇa upāsanā: meditating on Śiva’s defining attributes while worshipping the Liṅga, understanding the Liṅga as the sacred focus through which the formless Lord is approached via form. The iconographic signs named here become dhyāna-aṅgas (meditative limbs) during Liṅga pūjā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice Śiva-dhyāna by visualizing the third eye, Nīlakaṇṭha (blue throat), the bull-emblem, and Śakti united with Śiva; then recite the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” during Liṅga worship, ideally with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as aids to steady devotion.