Shloka 7

उपमन्यूपदेशः

Upamanyu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

विष्णुचक्रं च तद्धोरं वज्रमाखण्डलस्य च । शीर्णं पुराऽभवत्कृष्ण तदंगेषु महाहवे

Transliteration

viṣṇucakraṃ ca taddhoraṃ vajramākhaṇḍalasya ca | śīrṇaṃ purā'bhavatkṛṣṇa tadaṃgeṣu mahāhave

Translation

O Kṛṣṇa, in that great battle, Viṣṇu’s fierce discus and Indra’s vajra were once shattered upon the Lord’s very limbs—so inviolable is Śiva, whom none can truly wound.

Word by Word

• viṣṇu-cakram: Viṣṇu’s discus
• viṣṇu-cakram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘viṣṇoḥ cakram’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय), ‘and’

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (cakram/vajram)

• ghoram: terrible
• ghoram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• vajram: the thunderbolt
• vajram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ākhaṇḍalasya: of Ākhaṇḍala (Indra)
• ākhaṇḍalasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhaṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय), ‘and’

• śīrṇam: was shattered
• śīrṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīrṇa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘broken/shattered’

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक), ‘formerly/once’

• abhavat: was/became
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘became/was’

• kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• tat-aṃgeṣu: on his limbs
• tat-aṃgeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘tasya aṅgāni’ = his limbs)

• mahāhave: in the great battle
• mahāhave: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Rudra

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Indra
• Krishna
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It asserts the supremacy of Pati (Śiva), whose being is beyond harm; when even divine weapons fail, the seeker learns that true refuge is surrender and devotion, not reliance on power.

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

The verse supports Saguna worship by portraying the Lord as concretely present and protectively inviolable; Linga-worship trains the mind to rest in that unassailable divine reality rather than in external force.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with bhakti and śaraṇāgati (taking refuge), reinforcing inner reliance on Śiva rather than fear of opposing forces.