Shloka 28

Svagati-varṇana

Description of the Supreme State / One’s True Attainment

Devanagari script

सुदर्शनं तथा चक्रं सहस्रवदनं विभुम् । द्विसहस्रभुजं देवमद्राक्षं पुरुषाकृतिम्

Transliteration

sudarśanaṃ tathā cakraṃ sahasravadanaṃ vibhum | dvisahasrabhujaṃ devamadrākṣaṃ puruṣākṛtim

Translation

I beheld that all‑pervading, mighty Deity—of human‑like form—radiant and beautiful, bearing the Sudarśana discus, with a thousand faces and two thousand arms.

Word by Word

• सुदर्शनम्: Sudarśana (the discus/name)
• सुदर्शनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुदर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; सु + दर्शन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• चक्रम्: discus/wheel
• चक्रम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular

• सहस्र: of a thousand
• सहस्र: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — genitive singular (used in compound)

• वदनम्: face/mouth
• वदनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular; (समासाङ्ग: सहस्रवदनम्)

• विभुम्: mighty, all-pervading
• विभुम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular; विशेषण (qualifying the deity/person seen)

• द्वि: two
• द्वि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral) used in compound; (समासाङ्ग: द्विसहस्रभुजम्)

• सहस्र: thousand
• सहस्र: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — genitive singular (used in compound)

• भुजम्: arm
• भुजम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular; (समासाङ्ग: द्विसहस्रभुजम्)

• देवम्: god
• देवम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular

• अद्राक्षम्: I saw
• अद्राक्षम्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/लुङ्), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन — 1st sg aorist (parasmaipada)

• पुरुष: of a man/person
• पुरुष: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — genitive singular (used in compound)

• आकृतिम्: form/shape
• आकृतिम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular; (समासाङ्ग: पुरुषाकृतिम्)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is a viśvarūpa-style theophany (thousand faces, myriad arms) expressed in Śaiva idiom, presenting the Deity as vibhu (all-pervading) sustaining and governing the cosmos.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

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

The verse emphasizes darśana (direct spiritual vision) of the Divine in a majestic saguna form, suggesting that the Infinite can reveal itself in perceivable attributes while remaining vibhu—all-pervading.

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

By describing an awe-inspiring manifest form, it supports saguna upāsanā as a valid doorway to realization; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such form-based devotion ultimately matures toward grasping the transcendent reality indicated by the Linga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It points to dhyāna and darśana-bhāvanā—steady contemplation on the Divine’s auspicious attributes—supported by regular pūjā and mantra-japa (such as the Panchākṣarī, Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to stabilize devotion.