Shloka 39

Durgama’s Seizure of the Vedas and the Gods’ Refuge in Yogamāyā (दुर्गमकृतवेदनाशः—योगमायाशरणगमनम्)

Devanagari script

वाङ्मनःकायदुष्प्रापां सूर्यचन्द्राग्निलोचनाम् । स्तोतुं न शक्नुमो मातस्त्व त्प्रभावाबुधा वयम्

Transliteration

vāṅmanaḥkāyaduṣprāpāṃ sūryacandrāgnilocanām | stotuṃ na śaknumo mātastva tprabhāvābudhā vayam

Translation

Oh Madre, cuya verdadera esencia está más allá del alcance de la palabra, la mente y el cuerpo; Tú, cuyos ojos son el Sol, la Luna y el Fuego: nosotros, de entendimiento limitado, no podemos alabar Tu grandeza.

Word by Word

• vāk-manaḥ-kāya-duṣprāpām: hard to reach by speech, mind, and body
• vāk-manaḥ-kāya-duṣprāpām: Karma (कर्म; object of stotuṃ/śaknumaḥ—intended object of praise)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक) + manas (प्रातिपदिक) + kāya (प्रातिपदिक) + duṣprāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with (implicit) devīm; compound sense: ‘difficult to attain by speech, mind, and body’ (तत्पुरुष; instrumental sense)

• sūrya-candra-agni-locanām: whose eyes are the sun, moon, and fire
• sūrya-candra-agni-locanām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण; of the addressed goddess)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + candra (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: सूर्यश्च चन्द्रश्च अग्निश्च लोचनानि यस्याः (she whose eyes are sun, moon, and fire)

• stotum: to praise
• stotum: Prayojana/Anukūla (प्रयोजन; purpose complement of śaknumaḥ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √stu (धातु); stotum (कृदन्त)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), from √stu; ‘to praise’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• śaknumaḥ: we are able
• śaknumaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु); śaknumaḥ (तिङन्त)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada; 1st Person (उत्तमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mātaḥ: O Mother
• mātaḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• tvat-prabhāva-abudhāḥ: ignorant of your power
• tvat-prabhāva-abudhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण; of vayam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + abudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; agrees with vayam; compound: ‘ignorant of your power’ (तत्पुरुष; genitive relation)

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (कर्ता; subject of śaknumaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; pronoun

Speaker

Devotees/praisers addressing the Goddess (Umā/Pārvatī), as narrated within the Umāsaṃhitā discourse (framed through Sūta’s narration to the sages).

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Characters & Entities

• Parvati

FAQs

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

It teaches that the supreme Mother (Umā), as Shiva’s inseparable Shakti, transcends ordinary instruments of knowing—speech, mind, and bodily action—so true realization arises through devotion, grace, and inner purification rather than mere intellectual description.

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

Even when worship is performed through saguna forms—such as Shiva’s Linga and Umā’s divine form—the verse reminds the devotee that the Reality indicated by these forms is ultimately beyond conceptual grasp; the icon becomes a compassionate support for approaching the transcendent Pati-Shakti principle.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt humble stotra-recitation and japa with surrender—especially Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—and pair it with simple Shiva-Shakti upāsanā (e.g., Tripuṇḍra/bhasma and focused remembrance), emphasizing devotion over pride in learning.