Shloka 41

Svagati-varṇana

Description of the Supreme State / One’s True Attainment

Devanagari script

संमुखे शंकरं दृष्ट्वा बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा । अपूजयं सुविधिवदहं श्रद्धासमन्वितः

Transliteration

saṃmukhe śaṃkaraṃ dṛṣṭvā bāṣpagadgadayā girā | apūjayaṃ suvidhivadahaṃ śraddhāsamanvitaḥ

Translation

Al ver a Śaṅkara cara a cara, con la voz entrecortada por las lágrimas, lo adoré conforme al rito debido, colmado de fe firme.

Word by Word

• saṃmukhe: in front (face to face)
• saṃmukhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/देशवाचक), ‘in front/face to face’

• śaṃkaram: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having seen’

• bāṣpa-gadgadayā: with (a voice) choked with tears
• bāṣpa-gadgadayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + gadgada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘bāṣpasya gadgadā’ = choked with tears)

• girā: by/with speech
• girā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gir (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• apūjayam: I worshipped
• apūjayam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष? actually उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘I worshipped’

• su-vidhi-vat: properly, as per due rite
• su-vidhi-vat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्ययभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण, ‘according to good/proper procedure’

• ahaṃ: I
• ahaṃ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुष, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śraddhā-samanvitaḥ: endowed with faith
• śraddhā-samanvitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (‘śraddhayā samanvitaḥ’ = endowed with faith)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the account within the Umāsaṃhitā narrative)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Darśana ‘face to face’ is treated as the apex of pilgrimage: it ripens faith (śraddhā) and makes ritual efficacious as an expression of surrender.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights that direct awareness of Śiva (darśana) naturally awakens bhakti—so intense that the voice trembles—while insisting that devotion should be grounded in śraddhā and expressed through reverent worship.

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

The verse emphasizes Saguna devotion—approaching Śaṅkara as the accessible Lord who receives worship—supporting the Purāṇic teaching that Linga-pūjā and personal worship, done with faith and proper observance, become a means to Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform Śiva-pūjā “vidhivat” with steady śraddhā—beginning with inner recollection of Śiva, followed by respectful offerings; the core takeaway is sincere, tearful devotion aligned with proper worship discipline.