Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 27

कामविवाहवर्णनम् / Description of Kāma’s Marriage

Devanagari script

निम्ननाभिह्रदां क्षामां सर्वांगरमणीयिकाम् । सर्वलावण्यसदनां शोभमानां रमामिव

Transliteration

nimnanābhihradāṃ kṣāmāṃ sarvāṃgaramaṇīyikām | sarvalāvaṇyasadanāṃ śobhamānāṃ ramāmiva

Translation

Tenía el ombligo hondo como un estanque encantador, la cintura esbelta y miembros deleitosos en todo—morada de toda hermosura—resplandeciendo como la misma diosa Ramā (Lakṣmī).

Word by Word

• nimna-nābhi-hradām: (her) with a deep navel and lake-like (navel)
• nimna-nābhi-hradām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nimna (प्रातिपदिक) + nābhi (प्रातिपदिक) + hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); samāsa: tatpuruṣa—nimnā nābhiḥ yasmin (having a deep navel) + hradā (lake-like) used as bahu-upapada adjective

• kṣāmām: slender
• kṣāmām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; adjective qualifying tāṃ/ratim

• sarva-aṅga-ramaṇīyikām: beautiful in every limb
• sarva-aṅga-ramaṇīyikām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + ramaṇīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa—sarveṣu aṅgeṣu ramaṇīyā (beautiful in all limbs)

• sarva-lāvaṇya-sadanām: the abode of all loveliness
• sarva-lāvaṇya-sadanām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + lāvaṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + sadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa—sarvasya lāvaṇyasya sadanam (abode of all beauty)

• śobhamānām: shining, resplendent
• śobhamānām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubh (धातु) → śobhamāna (कृदन्त, शतृ/शानच्)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; vartamāna-kṛdanta (present participle), parasmaipada sense; qualifying the same object

• ramām: Rama (Lakṣmī)
• ramām: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ramā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• iva: like/as
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Upamā-avyaya (particle of comparison)

Speaker

Sūta Goswāmī (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Sati
• Rama (Lakshmi)

FAQs

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

The verse presents Satī as an embodiment of auspiciousness and divine radiance, indicating that Śakti is not merely physical beauty but the luminous power that supports dharma and devotion—leading the devotee toward Shiva through reverence for the sacred form (saguṇa).

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

By praising Satī’s resplendent, auspicious form, the text affirms saguṇa-upāsanā—devotion through perceivable attributes. In Shaiva worship, reverence for Śakti naturally culminates in worship of Shiva as the Linga, where form becomes a doorway to the formless (nirguṇa) reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is contemplative dhyāna on the divine auspicious form of Śiva-Śakti while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating purity of perception and devotion; this aligns well with Mahāśivarātri vrata and temple Linga-darśana.