Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 8

रुद्राविर्भावकारणम् — Causes and Pattern of Rudra’s Manifestation

Pratikalpa

Devanagari script

सहस्रादित्यसंकाशश्चन्द्रावयवभूषणः । भुजंगहारकेयूरवलयो मुंजमेखलः

Transliteration

sahasrādityasaṃkāśaścandrāvayavabhūṣaṇaḥ | bhujaṃgahārakeyūravalayo muṃjamekhalaḥ

Translation

He shone with the splendor of a thousand suns, adorned with ornaments formed of the lunar essence. Wearing serpents as a garland, with armlets and bracelets, and girded with a muñja-grass belt, he appeared as the auspicious, manifest (saguṇa) Lord—radiant and yogic—who grants liberation to bound souls.

Word by Word

• sahasra: thousand
• sahasra: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, stem used in compound; numeral noun

• āditya: sun
• āditya: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound; 'sun'

• saṃkāśaḥ: like (the light of) a thousand suns
• saṃkāśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃkāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; compound: sahasra-āditya-saṃkāśaḥ = 'having the radiance/appearance of a thousand suns' (तत्पुरुष)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय-बोधक)

• candra: moon
• candra: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound; 'moon'

• avayava: limb, part
• avayava: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound; 'part/limb'

• bhūṣaṇaḥ: adorned with the moon (as ornament)
• bhūṣaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; compound: candra-avayava-bhūṣaṇaḥ = 'adorned with moon(-like) limbs / having moon as an ornament on the body' (तत्पुरुष)

• bhujaṃga: serpent
• bhujaṃga: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhujaṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound; 'serpent'

• hāra: garland
• hāra: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound; 'necklace/garland'

• keyūra: armlet
• keyūra: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keyūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, stem used in compound; 'armlet'

• valayaḥ: (wearing) garlands, armlets, bracelets
• valayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: valaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; dvandva compound: bhujaṃga-hāra-keyūra-valayaḥ = 'having (serpent-)garland, armlets, and bracelets' (समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व; singular as a collective epithet)

• muṃja: muñja grass
• muṃja: Samāsa-aṅga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṃja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, stem used in compound; 'muñja grass'

• mekhalaḥ: with a muñja-grass girdle
• mekhalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mekhalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; compound: muṃja-mekhalaḥ = 'having a belt of muñja grass' (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Rudra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse presents Shiva’s saguṇa (manifest) radiance and yogic emblems, teaching that the Supreme Pati compassionately assumes a perceivable form so the bound soul (paśu) can meditate, purify bonds (pāśa), and move toward moksha.

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

The described ornaments and brilliance support saguna-dhyāna (form-based contemplation). In Linga worship, devotees invoke the same Lord—formless in essence yet approachable through symbol (Liṅga) and form—so devotion and concentration become steady.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice Shiva-dhyāna: visualize Shiva as intensely radiant, moon-adorned, and serpent-garlanded while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; this can be paired with traditional Shaiva aids like tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrāksha for focus.