Shloka 82

Umāyāḥ Kriyāyoga-Rahasya

The Esoteric Teaching on Umā’s Kriyāyoga

Devanagari script

सौभाग्याय सदा स्त्रीभिः कार्य्यमेतन्महाव्रतम् । विद्याधनसुताप्त्यर्थं विधेयं पुरुषैरपि

Transliteration

saubhāgyāya sadā strībhiḥ kāryyametanmahāvratam | vidyādhanasutāptyarthaṃ vidheyaṃ puruṣairapi

Translation

For enduring good fortune, women should always observe this great vow. Men too should perform it, in order to obtain learning, wealth, and worthy offspring.

Word by Word

• saubhāgyāya: for good fortune
• saubhāgyāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Beneficiary)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saubhāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (नित्यत्ववाचक अव्यय)

• strībhiḥ: by women
• strībhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Agent; expressed in instrumental in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kāryam: should be done
• kāryam: Kriya (क्रिया; passive obligation predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; gerundive from √kṛ ‘to do’)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicative: ‘to be done’

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (कर्ता; grammatical subject of passive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक; एतद्-pronominal stem)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies mahāvratam

• mahā-vratam: great vow
• mahā-vratam: Karta (कर्ता; grammatical subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-vrata (प्रातिपदिक; महा + व्रत)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• vidyā-dhana-sutā-āpti-artham: for (the sake of) attainment of knowledge, wealth, and sons
• vidyā-dhana-sutā-āpti-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidyā + dhana + sutā + āpti + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Purpose-accusative used adverbially (अर्थे द्वितीया/प्रयोजनवाचक अव्ययप्राय); ‘for the sake of obtaining…’

• vidheyam: should be performed
• vidheyam: Kriya (क्रिया; passive obligation predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidheya (प्रातिपदिक; gerundive from vi√dhā ‘to arrange/ordain’)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicative: ‘to be performed/ordained’

• puruṣaiḥ: by men
• puruṣaiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Agent; expressed in instrumental in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/additive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (समुच्चय/अपि = ‘also/even’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Uma Samhita teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Frames vrata as a means to both laukika-siddhi (saubhāgya, vidyā, dhana, putra) and as preparatory merit supporting higher Śaiva aims; in Siddhānta, such fruits are secondary to eventual pāśa-kṣaya through grace.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

FAQs

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

It teaches that a Shaiva mahāvrata supports both dharma and inner upliftment: through disciplined observance and devotion, one gains auspiciousness and merit, aligning worldly life with the path toward Shiva’s grace.

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

A mahāvrata in the Shiva Purana is typically fulfilled through Saguna Shiva worship—regular pūjā, vrata-discipline, and reverence to Shiva’s sacred forms (including the Liṅga)—so that devotion becomes steady and fruitful.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse emphasizes vrata-observance itself; in Shaiva practice this is commonly supported by daily Shiva pūjā, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and purity disciplines such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where prescribed.