Shloka 64

Kālajñāna (Knowledge of Time) and Mṛtyu-cihna (Signs of Death): Śiva’s Instruction to Umā

Devanagari script

सप्तदशप्रवाहेण नवमासैर्गतायुषम् । अष्टादशदिनान्यत्र कथितं साधकेश्वरि

Transliteration

saptadaśapravāheṇa navamāsairgatāyuṣam | aṣṭādaśadinānyatra kathitaṃ sādhakeśvari

Translation

O Mistress of the sādhakas, it is taught here that by the flow of seventeen successive observances, the span of life is carried through nine months; and here, moreover, eighteen days are also declared.

Word by Word

• सप्तदश-प्रवाहेण: by/with the seventeenfold flow
• सप्तदश-प्रवाहेण: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तदश (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सप्तदशानां प्रवाहः)

• नव-मासैः: by nine months
• नव-मासैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नव (प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/द्विगु-समासः (नव मासाः)

• गत-आयुषम्: (having) life-span gone/ended
• गत-आयुषम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः ‘गत’ (gone/ended) + ‘आयुस्’

• अष्टादश-दिनानि: eighteen days
• अष्टादश-दिनानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टादश (प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/द्विगु (अष्टादश दिनानि)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• कथितम्: is stated
• कथितम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगः—“is said/has been stated”

• साधक-ईश्वरि: O mistress of practitioners
• साधक-ईश्वरि: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधक (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (साधकानाम् ईश्वरि)

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

The verse emphasizes disciplined continuity in sādhana—spiritual practice done in an unbroken sequence—where time (months and days) becomes a sacred measure for inner purification and the extension of life toward dharma and liberation under Pati (Shiva).

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

In the Umāsaṃhitā, Shiva’s instruction to Umā frames practice as structured observance; such timed vows commonly support Saguna Shiva worship—especially Linga-upāsanā—by stabilizing the devotee’s mind, making devotion steady and fit for grace (anugraha).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests a regulated vow-based sādhana performed in a fixed sequence and duration; in Shaiva practice this is typically paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), Linga-pūjā, and purity disciplines such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where appropriate.