Shloka 42

एकोनविंशतिशिवावतारवर्णनम्

Description of the Nineteen Manifestations/Avatāras of Śiva

Devanagari script

इति द्विचत्वारिंशावताराः

Transliteration

iti dvicatvāriṃśāvatārāḥ

Translation

Thus are concluded the forty-two incarnations (manifest forms) of Lord Rudra-Śiva.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative/closing particle: thus)

• द्वि-चत्वारिंशत्-अवताराः: the forty-two incarnations
• द्वि-चत्वारिंशत्-अवताराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + चत्वारिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (numeral compound: 'forty-two incarnations')

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Rudra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Purāṇic avatāra-sankhyā (enumeration of Rudra’s 42 manifestations)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra

FAQs

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

It serves as a concluding marker that Shiva’s many avatāras are purposeful manifestations of the one Supreme Pati; remembering them supports bhakti and right understanding that the One appears as many for the welfare of beings.

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

By closing the list of avatāras, it points the devotee back to the single Lord worshipped in all forms—especially through the Śiva-liṅga—where Saguna manifestations are revered as expressions of the same transcendent Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is nāma-smaraṇa and japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while contemplating Shiva as the one Lord appearing in many forms.