Shloka 1

गौरीप्रवेशः—शिवसाक्षात्कारः

Gaurī’s Entry and the Vision of Śiva

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । कृत्वा गौरं वपुर्दिव्यं देवी गिरिवरात्मजा । कथं ददर्श भर्तारं प्रविष्टा मन्दितं सती

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kṛtvā gauraṃ vapurdivyaṃ devī girivarātmajā | kathaṃ dadarśa bhartāraṃ praviṣṭā manditaṃ satī

Translation

The sages said: “After assuming a radiant, divine, fair-hued form, how did Satī—the goddess, daughter of the great mountain—enter that adorned place and behold her Lord, her husband Śiva?”

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (ऋषि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural (1st/प्रथमा)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), ‘having made/done’

• gauram: fair/bright
• gauram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaura (गौर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative singular (2nd/द्वितीया); adjective qualifying ‘vapuḥ’

• vapuḥ: body/form
• vapuḥ: Karma (कर्म/object of kṛtvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vapus (वपुस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative singular (2nd/द्वितीया)

• divyam: divine
• divyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (दिव्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative singular (2nd/द्वितीया); adjective qualifying ‘vapuḥ’

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

• giri-vara-ātmajā: daughter of the best mountain (Himālaya)
• giri-vara-ātmajā: Apposition (समानाधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (गिरि) + vara (वर) + ātmajā (आत्मजा)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular (1st/प्रथमा); tatpuruṣa: ‘daughter of the best of mountains’ (गिरिवरस्य आत्मजा)

• katham: how
• katham: Prakāra (प्रकार/ interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, interrogative adverb (प्रश्नवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhartāram: (her) husband
• bhartāram: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (भर्तृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative singular (2nd/द्वितीया)

• praviṣṭā: having entered
• praviṣṭā: Karta (कर्ता; participle agreeing with devī)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-viś (प्र-विश् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Feminine, Nominative singular (1st/प्रथमा); ‘having entered’

• manditam: adorned
• manditam: Karma/Adhikaraṇa (कर्म/अधिकरणम्; context-dependent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mandita (मण्डित प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative singular (2nd/द्वितीया); adjective qualifying an implied neuter noun such as ‘gṛham/āśramam/sthānam’ (place), or taken adverbially ‘in an adorned (place)’

• satī: Satī (the virtuous one)
• satī: Apposition (समानाधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (सती प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular (1st/प्रथमा); epithet of Pārvatī

Speaker

The sages (ṛṣis) at Naimiṣāraṇya

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: A query-frame verse: the ṛṣis ask about Devī’s radiant transformation and her darśana of Śiva; no Jyotirliṅga locale is specified.

Significance: Models śravaṇa (listening) and jijñāsā (theological inquiry) as preparatory disciplines for bhakti and right understanding of Pati.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Sati
• Shiva
• Himalaya

FAQs

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

The verse highlights “darśana” (beholding the Lord) as a fruit of inner refinement—Satī assumes a luminous, purified form, symbolizing the soul’s readiness to perceive Pati (Śiva), the supreme Lord, through devotion and grace.

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

Although the verse narrates a personal encounter, it reflects the Shaiva principle that Saguna Śiva becomes accessible to the devotee through reverence and purity; similarly, in Liṅga-worship the Lord is approached in a concrete, worship-worthy form that grants darśana and blessing.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied practice is purification and adornment of body and mind before worship—bhasma (tripuṇḍra), mantra-japa (especially “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and disciplined conduct—so the devotee becomes fit for Śiva-darśana.