Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 32

काम्यकर्मविभागः — Taxonomy of Kāmya (Desire-Motivated) Śaiva Rites

Devanagari script

सद्यपादं च तन्मूर्तिमष्टत्रिंशत्कलामयम् । मातृकामयमीशानं पञ्चब्रह्ममयं तथा

Transliteration

sadyapādaṃ ca tanmūrtimaṣṭatriṃśatkalāmayam | mātṛkāmayamīśānaṃ pañcabrahmamayaṃ tathā

Translation

He is also called Sadyapāda; that Form of His is made of thirty-eight kalās (divine powers). He is Īśāna, pervaded by the Mātṛkās (sacred matrices of sound), and likewise constituted as the Pañcabrahman—the fivefold faces/realities of Śiva.

Word by Word

• sadyaḥ-pādam: the ‘Sadyaḥ’ foot/quarter
• sadyaḥ-pādam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sadyaḥ + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कर्मधारय/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: ‘Sadyaḥ’ नामकः pādaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction ‘and’)

• tat-mūrtim: that form/manifestation
• tat-mūrtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: tasya mūrtiḥ → tat-mūrtiḥ)

• aṣṭā-triṃśat-kalā-mayam: consisting of thirty-eight kalās
• aṣṭā-triṃśat-kalā-mayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭā + triṃśat + kalā + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: aṣṭātriṃśat-kalānāṃ mayam = ‘consisting of 38 kalās’)

• mātṛkā-mayam: made of the Mātṛkās (letters/energies)
• mātṛkā-mayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mātṛkā + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: mātṛkāṇāṃ mayam)

• īśānam: Īśāna
• īśānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• pañca-brahma-mayam: consisting of the five Brahmas
• pañca-brahma-mayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + brahma + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: pañca-brahmāṇāṃ mayam = ‘consisting of the five Brahmas’)

• tathā: thus; also
• tathā: Connector/Modifier (समुच्चय/विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थक (adverb/conjunction: ‘thus/also’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadyojāta

Mantra Metadata

Type: rudram

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Lalitā

Role: creative

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Ishana
• Panchabrahma
• Matrika

FAQs

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

It presents Śiva as the supreme Pati whose manifest form is not merely physical but composed of divine kalās (powers) and sacred sound (Mātṛkā), indicating that realization of Śiva involves both devotion to His form and insight into His inner, mantra-based reality.

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

The verse supports Saguna upāsanā by describing Śiva’s identifiable aspects—Īśāna and the Panchabrahma—commonly contemplated in Liṅga worship through the five-faced (pañcavaktra) understanding of Śiva and associated mantras.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva as Panchabrahma (Sadyojāta, Vāmadeva, Aghora, Tatpuruṣa, Īśāna) while doing japa with mantra-awareness of the Mātṛkās (sound/letters), aligning breath, sound, and devotion toward Śiva.