Shloka 50

Devanagari script

कृत्वा न्यासविधिं सम्यक्षडण्गकरयोस्तथा । षडक्षरेण मंत्रेण ततो ध्यानं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

kṛtvā nyāsavidhiṃ samyakṣaḍaṇgakarayostathā | ṣaḍakṣareṇa maṃtreṇa tato dhyānaṃ samācaret

Translation

Having properly performed the rite of nyāsa—placing the mantra upon the six limbs and upon the hands—one should then undertake meditation using the six-syllabled mantra.

Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा); “having done”

• nyāsa-vidhim: the nyāsa procedure/rite
• nyāsa-vidhim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• samyak: properly, correctly
• samyak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• ṣaḍ-aṅga-karayoḥ: of the two hands for the six-limbed (nyāsa)
• ṣaḍ-aṅga-karayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Dvivacana; “of the two hands (kara) (for) the six limbs (ṣaḍaṅga)”

• tathā: likewise, also
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb/connector (तथाशब्दः)

• ṣaḍ-akṣareṇa: with the six-syllabled
• ṣaḍ-akṣareṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘maṃtreṇa’

• maṃtreṇa: with the mantra
• maṃtreṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• dhyānam: meditation
• dhyānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• samācaret: should practice/perform
• samācaret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-car (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Nyāsa and ṣaḍakṣara-dhyāna present an ‘inner pilgrimage’: the body becomes the shrine, preparing the paśu for Śiva’s anugraha through mantra-śakti.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: oṃ namaḥ śivāya

Type: panchakshara

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that mantra is not merely recited but consciously installed in the body (nyāsa) and then internalized through meditation, turning worship into an inward Shaiva sādhanā oriented toward Shiva-realization and grace.

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

Nyāsa prepares the worshipper as a fit vessel for Saguna Shiva worship—whether before the Linga externally or within the heart-lotus—so that meditation becomes a direct contemplation of Shiva’s auspicious form and presence.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform aṅga-nyāsa and kara-nyāsa, then meditate while holding the six-syllabled Shiva mantra steadily in awareness, letting mantra-japa culminate in dhyāna.