Shloka 1

छायापुरुषलक्षणवर्णनम्

Description of the Marks of the Shadow-Person

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । देवदेव महादेव कथितं कालवंचनम् । शब्दब्रह्मस्वरूपं च योगलक्षणमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

devyuvāca | devadeva mahādeva kathitaṃ kālavaṃcanam | śabdabrahmasvarūpaṃ ca yogalakṣaṇamuttamam

Translation

The Goddess said: O God of gods, O Mahādeva—please explain the transcending of Time (kāla-vañcana), the nature of Śabda-Brahman (Brahman as sacred sound), and the supreme characteristics of Yoga.

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• deva-deva: O God of gods
• deva-deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘god of gods’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahā-deva: O Mahādeva
• mahā-deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘great god’; Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• kathitam: told/related
• kathitam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त; √kath कथ् ‘to tell’)
• Form: Past passive participle; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन) (predicate/elliptic ‘it has been told’)

• kāla-vaṃcanam: the deception of time
• kāla-vaṃcanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘deception of time’; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय-निपात)

• śabda-brahma-svarūpam: the nature/form of Śabda-Brahman
• śabda-brahma-svarūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) multi-member compound; Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• yoga-lakṣaṇam: the definition of yoga
• yoga-lakṣaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘characteristic/definition of yoga’; Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• uttamam: supreme/excellent
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन) qualifying ‘yoga-lakṣaṇam’

Speaker

Parvati (Devi)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Sets up doctrinal ‘darśana’ rather than site-pilgrimage: kāla-vañcana (crossing time), śabda-brahman (mantric absolute), and yoga-lakṣaṇa (marks of realization) are presented as the inner fruits often sought through tīrtha-yātrā.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Explicit thematic focus on kāla-vañcana (outwitting/transcending time), i.e., liberation beyond temporality.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

This verse opens a Shaiva yogic inquiry: Parvati asks Shiva about surpassing Time (the force binding beings to birth and death), realizing Brahman through sacred sound (mantra), and recognizing the authentic marks of the highest Yoga that leads to liberation under Shiva’s grace.

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

Śabda-Brahman points to mantra as a direct support for Saguna worship—especially Shiva’s name and mantra—through which the devotee’s mind becomes steady and inward, enabling deeper contemplation that culminates in realizing Shiva beyond form (Nirguna) while remaining rooted in devotional practice.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse implies mantra-oriented yoga (japa and dhyāna) as the means to transcend time-bound fear and mortality—classically centered in Shaiva practice on Shiva-mantra remembrance and meditative absorption.