Shloka 27

तपः–मन्त्रजप–ध्यानविधिः

Protocol of Tapas, Mantra-Japa, and Śiva-Dhyāna

Devanagari script

बद्धकच्छश्च वस्त्रीभिर्वद्धेशानध्वजस्तदा । शरीरे श्वेतरेखाश्च धनुर्बाणयुतः स्वयम्

Transliteration

baddhakacchaśca vastrībhirvaddheśānadhvajastadā | śarīre śvetarekhāśca dhanurbāṇayutaḥ svayam

Translation

Then he stood with his garment tucked up and fastened, bearing the banner of Īśāna; on his body were white streak-marks, and he himself was equipped with bow and arrows.

Word by Word

• baddha-kacchaḥ: with his waist-cloth tucked/fastened
• baddha-kacchaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: baddha (कृदन्त; √bandh धातु) + kaccha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग); Nominative (1st/प्रथमा); Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: ‘baddhaḥ kacchaḥ yasya’ / ‘baddha-kaccha’ as descriptive epithet

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• vastrībhiḥ: with garments/cloths
• vastrībhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग); Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया); Plural (बहुवचन)

• vaddha-īśāna-dhvajaḥ: having the Īśāna-banner fastened
• vaddha-īśāna-dhvajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaddha (कृदन्त; √bandh धातु) + īśāna + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग); Nominative (1st/प्रथमा); Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘īśānasya dhvajaḥ’ (banner of Īśāna) with qualifier vaddha ‘bound/fastened’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• śarīre: on/in the body
• śarīre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग); Locative (7th/सप्तमी); Singular (एकवचन)

• śveta-rekhāḥ: white lines
• śveta-rekhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक) + rekhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग); Nominative (1st/प्रथमा); Plural (बहुवचन); karmadhāraya: ‘śvetāḥ rekhāḥ’ (white lines)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• dhanuḥ-bāṇa-yutaḥ: equipped with bow and arrows
• dhanuḥ-bāṇa-yutaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhanuḥ + bāṇa + yuta (कृदन्त; √yuj धातु)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग); Nominative (1st/प्रथमा); Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘dhanurbāṇaiḥ yutaḥ’ (endowed with bow and arrows)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Reflexive/emphatic indeclinable (स्वयम्-शब्दः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Ishana

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Ishana

FAQs

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

The verse presents Śiva in a manifest (saguṇa) form—marked with auspicious white lines and bearing the Īśāna banner—showing that the Supreme Pati can be approached through sacred symbols that awaken devotion and steady contemplation.

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

While the Liṅga points to Śiva’s transcendent reality, this description supports saguṇa-upāsanā: devotees meditate on Śiva’s signs (dhvaja, white marks, bow and arrows) to focus the mind and cultivate bhakti, ultimately leading toward realization of the formless truth.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva as Īśāna with sacred white markings (bhasma/Tripuṇḍra symbolism) and visualize his protective power (bow and arrows); this can be paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”