Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

The Description of the Glory of the Purāṇa

Purāṇa-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

कपर्दिनं विरूपाक्ष व्याघ्रचर्मांबरावृतम् । भूतिभूषितसर्वांगं नागभूषणभूषितम् ॥ १७ ॥

Transliteration

kapardinaṃ virūpākṣa vyāghracarmāṃbarāvṛtam | bhūtibhūṣitasarvāṃgaṃ nāgabhūṣaṇabhūṣitam || 17 ||

Translation

Il est Kapardin, le Seigneur aux cheveux nattés; Virūpākṣa, au regard singulier; revêtu d’un vêtement de peau de tigre. Tout son corps est paré de cendre sacrée (vibhūti) et orné de serpents comme de joyaux.

Word by Word

• kapardinam: Kapardin (the matted-haired one; Śiva)
• kapardinam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapardin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• virūpākṣam: the odd/unequal-eyed (one)
• virūpākṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: virūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: ‘having strange/unequal eyes’ (विरूपे अक्षिणी यस्य) used as epithet

• vyāghra-carma-ambara-āvṛtam: clad in a tiger-skin garment
• vyāghra-carma-ambara-āvṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāghra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ आवरणे with ā-)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘clad/covered with a tiger-skin garment’ (व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरेण आवृतम्); PPP (क्त) as final member

• bhūti-bhūṣita-sarva-aṅgam: whose whole body is adorned with sacred ash
• bhūti-bhūṣita-sarva-aṅgam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūti (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣita (कृदन्त; √bhūṣ अलङ्कारे) + sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘whose whole body is adorned with ash’ (भूत्या भूषितं सर्वाङ्गं यस्य); PPP (क्त) within compound

• nāga-bhūṣaṇa-bhūṣitam: adorned with serpent ornaments
• nāga-bhūṣaṇa-bhūṣitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣita (कृदन्त; √bhūṣ अलङ्कारे)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘adorned with serpent-ornaments’ (नागभूषणैः भूषितम्); PPP (क्त)

Speaker

Narada (describing Rudra/Śiva in an anukramaṇikā-style summary)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Rudra)
• Virupaksha
• Kapardin

FAQs

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

The verse encodes Śiva’s renunciant majesty: tiger-skin (mastery over primal nature), bhasma (detachment and impermanence), and serpents (fearlessness and yogic power), presenting Rudra as the ascetic-lord beyond worldly ornamentation.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By giving a vivid dhyāna-style description of the deity’s marks, it supports devotional remembrance (smaraṇa) and focused contemplation—core bhakti practices—through a concrete form that devotees can meditate upon.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Primarily Nirukta/etymological understanding and iconographic convention: epithets like Kapardin and Virūpākṣa function as technical identifiers for dhyāna and ritual visualization rather than grammar or astrology instruction.