Shloka 17

छायापुरुषलक्षणवर्णनम्

Description of the Marks of the Shadow-Person

Devanagari script

खेचरा सा विनिर्दिष्टा सर्वप्राणिषु संस्थिता । दृश्यादृश्याचला नित्या व्यक्ताव्यक्ता सनातनी

Transliteration

khecarā sā vinirdiṣṭā sarvaprāṇiṣu saṃsthitā | dṛśyādṛśyācalā nityā vyaktāvyaktā sanātanī

Translation

Ella es declarada ‘Khecarā’—la que se mueve en el espacio interior (kha). Morando en todos los seres, es a la vez vista e invisible; inmóvil, eterna; manifiesta y no manifiesta—sanātanī, perenne en su naturaleza.

Word by Word

• khecarā: Khecarā (name/epithet)
• khecarā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khecara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sā: she/that (f.)
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• vinirdiṣṭā: designated/defined
• vinirdiṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + nir + diś (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्: क्त/PPP), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarva-prāṇiṣu: in all living beings
• sarva-prāṇiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) compound; Neuter? actually prāṇin is masc/fem; here Locative (सप्तमी/7), Plural (बहुवचन) with prāṇiṣu; sense: 'in all living beings'

• saṃsthitā: situated/established
• saṃsthitā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + sthā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/PPP), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• dṛśyā: visible
• dṛśyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• adṛśyā: invisible
• adṛśyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + dṛśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• acalā: immovable/steady
• acalā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + cala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• nityā: eternal/constant
• nityā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• vyaktā: manifest
• vyaktā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• avyaktā: unmanifest
• avyaktā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + vyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sanātanī: primeval/everlasting
• sanātanī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Internalizes tīrtha: the ‘khecarā’ śakti abiding in all beings is presented as the true sacred locus, shifting emphasis from external pilgrimage to inner realization.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It affirms the all-pervasive inner Divine Power (Shakti) that abides in every being, transcending opposites—seen/unseen and manifest/unmanifest—pointing to the steady, eternal reality realized through Shaiva contemplation.

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

Linga worship begins with a visible symbol (saguna support) yet leads the devotee to the invisible and unmanifest Shiva-Shakti that pervades all life; this verse explicitly bridges that movement from form to the formless.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate in the inner ‘kha’ (heart/space of awareness) while reciting the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), stabilizing attention on the unmoving, eternal presence within—supporting japa and dhyāna as the path toward liberation.